A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure
by mystifi3d
Summary: Tasuki's famous for his women-hating attitude. But when a girl suddenly appers in his world, giving him more than he can handle, will this fiery women-hating bandit overcome his hatred or will he just despise the female race even more?
1. An Unwanted Fallen Angel

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Everything related to the 'Universe of The Four Gods' is the magnificent work of Yuu Watase. Although, how I wished that Tasuki was mine. . . sigh~ life is unfair. So please don't sue me! The only thing that I have copyright for is Ayomi and some other weird stuff. . .  
  
Spoiler alert: This fic is spoiler packed, not only for the complete Fushigi Yuugi series but also for the Genrou Den. Although I didn't put in many details (only a brief summary of what happens in both stories), it's enough to ruin it for you. But then again who cares? You're probably not even reading this. . .  
  
A/N: This is my first fanfic so please tell me what you think. If you don't like it, let me know why and if you find it er. . . enjoyable, your review will encourage me to continue and write some more fics. This story is rated PG-13 maybe even R for swearing (what would Tasuki-chan be without it?). Anyways, it takes place a year after Miaka leaves the book for good. Tasuki has returned to Mt.Leikaku to become leader, but doesn't know what fate has in store for him. . .  
  
' ' Means thoughts  
  
" " Means speech  
  
*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*  
  
Chapter 1: An Unwanted Fallen Angel  
  
On a lonesome summer evening, a charming young lady sat in front of her computer screen and waited impatiently for her friends to show any signs of their existence. "Man is everyone dead or something? Or, did they just all ditch me and go out without telling me anything??!!"  
  
She waited a bit longer. 'Guess so. . . This is what friends are for,' she stated to herself sarcastically.  
  
"Thank you everyone, just when I need you the most!" she sighed deeply. It was quite late and having nothing better to do, the girl decided to go to bed early.  
  
As she passed in front of the living room, she noticed that her TV set was still opened. As she picked up the remote control to turn the power off, she couldn't help but listen to the show that was playing. It was a Japanese anime that was talking about a teenager who was sent to another world to call upon some weird bird shaped God. "Hmm, this looks interesting, despite the fact that the main character could use a makeover," she thought.  
  
As she sad down to watch the show, a red light suddenly came out of the screen and surrounded her in a warm glowing light. When the light had disappeared, she had vanished along with it. . .  
  
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A girl with beautiful raven hair woke up in the middle of an immense forest. It was a chilly evening where the moon shone brightly in the night sky. Trees of all kind surrounded the girl as far as the eye could see. Wearing nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of shorts, she stood there shivering in the brisk summer evening. Suddenly she heard distant footsteps approaching her. . .  
  
"Looks like it was finally a good thing that Sinzo sent us to spy on the Mt.Leikaku bandits. Not only do I still know this place like the back of my head but look at the present Suzaku has sent us for our good work," roared a rough voice from somewhere behind a tree, "hehehe. . . we're gonna have some fun tonight boys. . . "  
  
The girl, realizing what mess she was in for, turned around and attempted to flee. But it was too late, they had somehow, already surrounded her. She looked at the men encircling her in fright as a pair of strong arms grabbed her before she was able to react and pushed her, face down, to ground. The fat man standing in front of her started to loosen his pants and moved towards the young lady.  
  
She started to kick furiously in attempt to escape but the guys holding her down would just tighten their grip. "She's a stubborn one Eikens, think you can handle her?" they said laughing. The one named Eikens paid no attention to their remark and started to move towards her.  
  
The girl closed her eyes and prayed. Just when she thought that all hope was lost, she heard another man shout:" Trespassers eh? Haven't ya ever heard that the Mt.Leikaku bandits aren't very friendly to people who invade our territory without our permission?"  
  
She heard some strange incantation that sounded something like, "LEKKA SHINEN!!!" And instantly, a blazing red flame came out from somewhere in the dark, aimed directly at her rapiers. Shocked and alarmed, they ran away with their clothes on fire, leaving the unconscious girl lying in the middle of the forest. . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When she woke up, she found herself lying in a warm bed, in a room that was decorated with ancient china adornments. 'Where the hell am I?'  
  
She noticed a red headed guy looking at her from the corner of his eye. The young lady, who was quite confused, made up an idea in her mind that the redheaded freak must have kidnapped her for some twisted plan where she was not going to profit from it. She sat up at once and smacked the fang- toothed man hard on the head, wanting to knock him out cold. Didn't work. . .  
  
"Ow. . . what the hell is your problem?" the guy shouted rubbing his head. She did not succeed in knowing him out, but a big lump was visibly forming on the top of his head.  
  
"My problem? Oh lets see, I don't know where I am, I don't know how the hell I got here, I almost got raped and I have this idiot staring at me probably thinking about what to do with me. Oh no big problem. At all! " she threw back.  
  
"What the hell is that supposed t'mean? Look here kid, if it wasn't for me, you would be dead by now," the man said with a rather funny accent.  
  
"Oh! So you're the one who that lit the fire that almost burned me to death. Remind me to thank you next time", she added sarcastically as she turned her back to him.  
  
"Jeez. . . this is why I HATE women!" he muttered under his breathe." If your highness needs anything, she can just call. Somebody will probably end up coming, after an hour or two." He got out from this chair and left the room still rubbing his head.  
  
The girl sat on the bed and looked around the room. 'This is a strange place. Where am I?' She stepped down from the bed and wondered about the room, inspecting the strange objects from here to there. 'I must have seriously fallen on my head because. . . I can't have just been sucked into a TV. Can I?'  
  
As she walked around the chamber thinking, her mind kept going back to the hot- tempered guy that had just rescued her. 'Maybe I was too hard with him, I mean he did just save my life and all. Or so he claims. . . ' she sighed . 'I should go find him and apologize. Since I am stranded here and don't know anyone. Better be on good terms with my 'saver,' she thought as she walked to the door, preparing to face a whole new world.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As the girl stepped out of the room, she gradually realized that it wasn't such a great idea. She found herself in a corridor with a bunch of guys starring at her in awe. 'They must go out very often,' she thought.  
  
"Can we help ya miss?" one of them asked approaching her.  
  
"Eh. . . " she started, "that is um. . . no. . . not really. . ."  
  
The men didn't seem to be listening to what she had just said though. Instead, they moved closer to her looking at her in veneration. She was about to turn back and lock herself in the room when a man with black hair came up the corridor. When the other men noticed his presence, they returned immediately back to their respective duties.  
  
"Looking for Genrou?" he asked.  
  
The girl nodded while keeping her eyes to the ground.  
  
"He went to the kitchens, come I'll take ya there." He held out his hand but soon took it back as he noticed the hesitation in the girl's eyes.  
  
"Don't worry, I won't bite ya." He said mockingly.  
  
She hesitantly walked beside him while eyeing him suspiciously.  
  
The young man chuckled at her reaction towards him while adding, "And if I were you, I'd kept a certain distance from them. They're not mean but they don't get out much and when there's a girl as pretty as you at their doorstep, its hard not to resist temptation." The schoolgirl bushed but didn't say anything. "By the way, my name's Kouji. And you are. . . "  
  
He was cut off as they reached the noisy cafeteria. The room was filled with tables, all made out of wood. They were also all very low and instead of having chairs for seating, four little benches stood on each side. Sitting at a table in a corner, was the same red hair guy whom she had whacked on the head a few moments ago.  
  
The man, realizing their presence turned and added to his friend:" What took ya so long Kouji, I was gonna open the sake without you." But then he noticed the girl that he had saved earlier standing beside his friend and added:" Aw. . . but did ya have ta bring that monster in here with ya? She's gonna ruin my night that's for sure."  
  
Hearing those words, the girl got very angry and shouted: "And to think that I was actually going to apologize to this. . . this. . . "  
  
"Hey calm down I was just joking, you take everything to personally kid," he said, cutting her in off before she could finish her sentence. He began to pour the sake and gestured for them to sit down.  
  
"I do have a name you know. . . its Ayomi. And for your information, I'm probably just as old as you. KID!" She sat down opposite to him while picking up a pair of chopsticks and beginning to taste the food that was in front of her.  
  
"She got you there pal," replied Koji with a grin as he also sat down. Witch was true since Ayomi was 19 and Tasuki was only a year older than her.  
  
Genrou muttered words for hate under his breath while Kouji asked Ayomi:" So. . . where ya from?"  
  
"Montreal. . . eh that's in Canada," replied the girl busy eating. The food was quite good.  
  
"Where?"  
  
"You don't know where Canada is? C'mon, it's only the second biggest country in the world!" she shouted in bewilderment.  
  
"Nope, I only know four countries and yours is not in one of them. But right now, you're in Konan. . . and that's in the south," he added hastily, seeing her puzzlement.  
  
'Konan. . . I've heard that name somewhere. . .' she thought to herself. And then it hit her. "Oh damn! God. . . this is not possible. Not only am I not in my own country but I'm in a different time! World!!!" she exclaimed as the history classes she took about ancient China finally came back to her.  
  
"I kinda guessed that you were from Miaka's world judging by the clothes that ya have on. But ya better not be trying to fool us. Cuz if I find out that you're a spy or something like that, believe me things can get very ugly," said Genrou in a tone in which Ayomi couldn't figured out if he was mocking her or if he was threatening her.  
  
"Thanks for the warning but I don't need it because I'm not a spy of some sort. And, I don't really know who Miaka is. But if you're asking me if I'm from her world. . . well I'm certainly not from here so you could say so," answered the girl as she stared at the bandit straight in the eye, trying to prove to him that she wasn't scared of him.  
  
'Who does he think he is accusing me of being a spy. Like I have nothing better to do. . . ' she tought, as she continued to stare at Genrou intensively in the eye until the man blushed and turned his head to avoid her gaze. She smiled and decided to continue her meal.  
  
"So. . . if you're not a spy than you must be here for a reason. I don't think Suzaku would just send you here to annoy me. . . ' he said as if he seemed to have regained control over the situation again.  
  
"Who's Suzaku?" asked Ayomi ignoring his second remark.  
  
"You don't know who Suzaku is??!!" answered both of them at once.  
  
"Well, I'm not from here so. . . why should I know who he is?"  
  
The two men looked at her in exasperation as they told her that Suzaku was the God that protected this Country, Konan. And how two years ago, a girl that came from another world had to gather the seven shichi seishi of Suzaku and summon the God to save this country from war. They told her the story of Miaka and how she found the seven warriors. Tasuki told Ayomi that he was a bandit. . .  
  
(Ayomi: You're a BANDIT!!!  
  
Tasuki: Yeah but we 're good ones.  
  
Ayomi: I can't see how someone who steals for a living can be good. . . (puzzled look)  
  
Tasuki: I'll explain it to ya later. Can we get back to the story?)  
  
. . . and how the priestess had found him here, at the Mt.Leikaku bandit base. He also showed her the "yoku" symbol on his left forearm and explained to Ayomi that all of the seven seishi have a symbol like his somewhere on their body. He told her a brief summary of how the Miko had to fight against the Seiryuu warriors to be able to summon the animal God. And that how in the battle, four of his friends had died. . .  
  
While Tasuki was telling her about the legend, Ayomi noticed the softness in his voice every time he mentionned the name of his Miko. 'He must have really liked her, probably still does. I wonder if they had an affaire. . . ' Her curiosity got the better of her and she asked the seishi: "Um. . . I know that this is not my business and that I shouldn't butt in, but um. . . did you and Miaka have something for each other?"  
  
Tasuki looked at her, startled, and replied: "You' re right, this really isn't any of you're business.  
  
-So you guys did have an affaire. What happened though, she dumped you?  
  
-God damn it, who is this girl kidding?! Never in a thousand years, Miaka was too in love with Tamahome. No one ever had a chance with her.  
  
-Ah. . . so you don't deny that you have feelings for her?" Asked Ayomi in an amused voice. The bandit turned slightly redder as he remembered what had happened between him and Miaka the last time she had been here, which was about a year ago. It was true that he didn't have feelings for his Miko but he remembered quite well that some evil part of him did feel "something" for Miaka. And that under its influence, he had almost committed a crime. But that was in the past now and everything had been cleared out. He had even acted heroically in the end by choosing to kill himself rather than betray his friends. Still, he couldn't help but blush as the memories came flooding in.  
  
"I never said that. Of course I like Miaka very much, but I don't have feelings for her. Besides I don't like girls," answered Tasuki in an annoyed voice while taking down another cup of alcohol.  
  
"You don't like girls. Wow, that's a first. Then that means that, you're. . . you're gay!!??" whispered the blue eyed girl. 'Why do cute guys always have to be taken or gay?' Ayomi lowered her head and sighed.  
  
Kouji, rather enjoying the show, burst out laughing at Ayomi' s crude conclusion on his friends sexual orientations.  
  
"BWAHAHAHA, you hear that Genrou, she thinks you're gay! I gotta admit, you aren't far from being it either," laughed his friend while patting the pissed off bandit on the back. "It's ok. Ya don't hafta be ashamed. . . "  
  
Before Kouji knew what was happening, he had received a rather painful pat on the head, giving to him by his friend with this iron fan. "No I'm not fucking gay. And ya know it idiot!" he shouted.  
  
The girl looked at the duo and burst out laughing.  
  
"Sorry, its just that you two are so funny. Well, I'm glad that you aren't gay, because that means I still have a chance with you," she added in a teasing voice.  
  
The bandit eyed her suspiciously but kept his mouth shut.  
  
"Hey Genrou, I heard that ya found some trespassers last evening. Found out who they were?" inquired Kouji in an attempt to break the silence.  
  
"Yeah. But I didn't get a good chance ta look at them. It was too dark and the cowards ran off as soon as I flamed them. But doesn't really matter now. Some sake?" he said to change the subject as he noticed Ayomi's mortified look, she visibly did not want to talk about it.  
  
"Thought you'd never ask," replied Kouji as he opened another bottle and started pouring.  
  
The rest of the evening went by smoothly. The young lady enjoyed the company of the two bandits even though they soon got too drunk to make any decent conversation.  
  
"I think we should call it a night Kouji," said Genrou in a dizzy voice. "Ya know where your room is?" he asked Ayomi.  
  
"Yep, so. . . um. . . good night," the young girl added while heading out the room. "Oh and by the way, I didn't get a chance to thank you for saving me today. So. . . arigatou." She winked at him and left the room.  
  
"Oh! No problem. Anytime, although, next time, don't wack me on the head," he said.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Once Ayomi had reached her room, she suddenly had the awkward feeling that some one was watching her. She turned around but no one was in sight.  
  
'I must be imagining things' she thought as she opened the door. 'I must be really tired. Nothing a good night of sleep won't solve.' She yawned and stepped into the dark room.  
  
As she entered the room and had closed the door, a pair of hands suddenly grabbed her and pushed her to the floor. Caught completely out of the blue, she forgot to react until it was too late. The guy tied a handkerchief over her mouth preventing her to scream for help. He also bounded her feet and hands avoiding any movement that he didn't want her to make.  
  
"Hehehe. . . caught you again. And this time no one's here to save you my little bijin*," said a familiar voice.  
  
' Oh no! It's the guy that was after me in the woods. How did he get here? What do I do? What do I do?' She closed her eyes and prayed. 'Help somebody please!' Ayomi tried to scream but nothing came out from mouth. She attempted to free herself from the cords tied around her wrist but without success. . . 'Please somebody help me. . . Tasuki. . . ' she thought.  
  
And then suddenly, the most enthralling voice came from the door.  
  
"Oi, Ayomi, I just came to check if everything was all right. Do ya need more blankets or something?" Tasuki didn't know why he was in front of her door but some gut feeling inside told him to come and check if she was ok.  
  
He waited a few seconds. No answer.  
  
'Hmm. . . that's weird, she couldn't have fallen asleep that quickly. I doubt if she even had the time to get into bed,' thought the bandit, 'better go in to check.'  
  
As he opened the door, he found Ayomi on the floor, tied like a prisoner of some kind with. . . could it be? Eikens on top of her! But how could that be possible? He had banned that slimy man from the stronghold years ago.  
  
"What the hell's goin' on in here?" he shouted in disgust. "How the hell did you get in here you fucking bastard? Never mind, get your slimy hands off of her!"  
  
He knelt down, pushed the fat man off of Ayomi and began untying her while Eikens yelled in anger:" She's mine! I found her first back there in the woods. And if you hadn't bugged in and tried to roast me, I wouldn't be here right now to claim what I own. And how did I get here? Well, if you've forgotten I was leader here before. . . that is, until you had to. . . "  
  
Tasuki didn't let him finish his sentence. He rose to his height, grabbed his iron fan and hit the slim ball hard on the head. He fell on the floor, unconscious.  
  
"You disgusting pig. So you were the one that I had fried back in the woods. I shoulda finished you off, " he added in repulsion. He called in some men and told them to dispose of him.  
  
Tasuki then turned his attention to Ayomi and finished untying her making sure she was all right.  
  
As soon the she was free from the knots, she wrapped her arms around his neck while whispering: "Thank you so much Suzaku!" And burst into tears.  
  
Tasuki, seeing her cry made him feel very uncomfortable. He hated to see people cry, especially girls. He didn't know why, but he felt the urge to just hug her very tight and make everything okay.  
  
"Hey, it's ok now. Nothing's gonna happen ta ya," he said to comfort her. "C'mon, I'll take ya to my room. I don't think that you'll want ta sleep alone after what just happened. I'll ask someone to make a bed for you in there."  
  
The girl looked at him, lowered her teary eyes and whispered: "Arigatou. . . for saving me again. I really owe you now don't I?"  
  
"You owe me big time. Your gonna spend the rest of your life in my debt," the bandit answered mockingly.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
He led her to his room where he left her on a cozy chair by the fire.  
  
"Wait here while I'll go and make arrangements about your bed," he told her.  
  
Ayomi watched as Tasuki left the room. She starred the blazing fire for a few moments but her exhaustion was too much and she soon fell asleep by the hot flames.  
  
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When Genrou came back to his room, he found a girl in his chair, fast asleep.  
  
'Koji's right,' he thought as he looked at her, 'she really is pretty. Blue eyes with black hair is rather rare around here. Not to mention that she has quite an attitude. . . foreign girls, I just don't get them. . . or any other girl as a matter of fact.'  
  
He picked her up and carried her to the bed where he gently tucked her in making sure to leave no drafts.  
  
Afterwards, the bandit went to sit in his chair where he thought about all that had happened today. He didn't think long though, because he was soon pulled into the world of dreams. . .  
  
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As daylight peeked out from the hilltops, Ayomi woke up covered in a soft blanket and snug in a warm bed. 'Heavenly,' she thought, 'mom must be making me breakfast at this moment. Last night was all but a dream, although I must admit that I regret not being able to really meet Genrou. He would have made an entertaining friend. . . '  
  
Her thoughts were interrupted as an old man came into the room bringing her a delicious meal and a pile of clothes.  
  
"Guess it wasn't just a dream," she whispered to herself, "oh well, reality isn't that bad after all. . . "  
  
"Good morning miss, Genrou-san asked me to look after you for the time being," the old man said while putting the tray of dishes on the nearby table and handing Ayomi the stack of clothing.  
  
"Does miss need anything?" asked the aged man as he replaced the room in order.  
  
Ayomi looked at the garments that the he had handed her while trying to figure up how to put them on. She guessed that they were traditional Chinese outfits, for girls. But they looked so tight and small. 'Man this won't do, how do they expect me move in this outfit?' she thought to herself.  
  
"Well. . . could you please bring me a bucket of warm water and take these clothes back to where you got them? Because I think I'm just going to stick with my own clothes, for the meantime,' she said while gesturing to the colorful set of clothing.  
  
"Very well miss. As you wish,' answered the elderly while preparing to exit the room. He asked no questions about her rather odd taste in clothing, but eyed her in an intriguing way.  
  
"Oh and sir!" shouted Ayomi. "Sorry to be a bother, but would you happen to know where Tasuki-chan went off to?" she said with her sweet pleading voice.  
  
"He went to the sables to see Koji-san off." He gestured to the little barn outside the window to her left. "Sir Kouji is going to the capital to tend to some business. Good Day Miss."  
  
With that, the old man left the room and Ayomi got dressed and filled her tummy to her satisfaction.  
  
'Might as well go find fang-boy,' She stood in front of a mirror and arranged herself to be presentable. 'Can't leave him all alone for too long.'  
  
At that, she got up and left the room.  
  
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"So, how long ya gonna be gone again?" asked a red haired bandit.  
  
"Oh probably a week or two. Don't worry, she wont kill you by then," answered his grinning friend, while arranging his saddle.  
  
"Hey what the hell's that supposed ta mean? Are you saying that I can't handle a girl?" reproached Genrou.  
  
"Oh no! Not at all. What I meant was that she might not be able to endure you for so long shit head," snickered Koji.  
  
Tasuki took out his fan and threatened his friend with it while shouting: "Aho! Ya really want me ta burn ya don't you?"  
  
Koji tore off on his horse not wanting to be flamed by the tessen.  
  
"Don't annoy her to much Genrou. 'N keep an eye on her. You might not like the girl, but I surely do. So. . . don't make any moves on her while I'm gone. . . C'ya," called back his friend. With that, he vanished into the woods.  
  
'Ah that baka! Why would I want to flirt with Ayomi? It's not like I even like her. Besides, she's probably gonna want to go back to her world when I get to talk to Chichiri. Thinking of Chichiri, it's been a long time since I've seen him. Wonder what that monk's up to. . . " thought the bandit as he walked around the horse stalls.  
  
Tasuki was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't hear Ayomi coming towards him. Until, he felt a had on the on shoulder.  
  
'Oh no! Not her!' prayed Genrou.  
  
"TAAAASSUUUUKKIIII," shouted the young lady, "I've been looking for you. So. . . whatcha doing? Going to rob someone? You know I've never seen a real bandit in action before so I've decided to come along with you. I hope you don't mind.  
  
A moment of silence then. . .  
  
"So, can I? Not that I'm asking you for permission or anything. Because frankly, even if you don't want me to come, I'd go anyway," exclaimed a confident Ayomi.  
  
Tasuki turned around and answered: "What the hell do ya want? And no you can't come along with me. Way to much trouble."  
  
The girl thought hard and responded: "Well, don't you think I would cause more trouble if I were to stay here. . . all alone. . . and unprotected since I heard that Koji's gone for a few days. You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to me right? So you see, I'd be better off going with you." Ayomi put on a sure to win sweet smile and grinned at Tasuki.  
  
The bandit had to admit that she was quite clever and knew how to get what she wanted because he couldn't find anything to say in his defense. He sighed and muttered:" Pain in the ass." While lifting Ayomi on to a horse and asking her: "You do know how to ride a horse right?"  
  
The girl laughed and answered: "I've never ridden a horse before. Sorry, but your gonna have to teach me."  
  
Tasuki looked up at the sky and sighed (maybe a little too loud): "Oh Suzaku. . . help."  
  
Ayomi, hearing those words, got very offended.  
  
"You know, you're not very nice. I don't think I wanna go with you anymore. You're mean, rude, selfish and the worst asshole I've ever meet. If you don't like me, then just say so instead of hinting it out every two seconds and praying out to Suzaku to get me out of your sight," she exclaimed while getting off the horse and preparing to run away. But before she had taken more than five steps, a strong hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.  
  
"Hey, wait! I didn't mean ta hurt your feelings. Goddamn it I don't hate you. I don't like you either, but I don't hate you," said a red face Genrou, "you hafta understand that I don't mean half the things I say. So, ya can't take seriously everything that comes out of my mouth."  
  
Ayomi looked at the bandit and noticed how embarrassed he must be right now. She knew how hard it was for guys to apologize. 'That was so cute,' she thought. And almost immediately, her anger gave place to a strange feeling that made her all fuzzy inside. She smiled at Tasuki and said: "It's ok, I'll try and not take everything too seriously from now on. I'm sorry."  
  
Tasuki stared at her in astonishment. From all the answers that he was expecting, he never thought that she would apologize to him. What did she have to apologize for? She wasn't the one being a jerk.  
  
"Sorry??!! What do you have to be sorry about? You didn't do anything wrong," exclaimed a surprised Tasuki.  
  
"Ah! Your wrong, I'm no better than you. Cuz you see, while I was screaming after you, I said that you were rude and all that. So you see, you insulted me and I just insulted you back," said Ayomi in an embarrassed tone. She lowered her eyes and waited for Tasuki to laugh at her. But nothing came. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her saying: "You know, I have the impression that me might just be friends one day."  
  
Ayomi couldn't help but laugh at those words.  
  
"So, are we going to rob someone and flame them with the tessen?" pleaded the girl.  
  
"What do ya mean by we? You're forgetting that I'm the one that holds the torch here," said Tasuki as he hoisted her on his horse and sat behind her.  
  
And off they went to pluck a fat chicken. . .  
  
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A/N: So, what did you guys think? Don't forget to review it. O^ - ^O  
  
*Bijin means pretty women in jap. 


	2. Trouble Brewing In The Air

Disclaimer: Wish I owned Tasuki, but guess what? I don't. . . ah life is cruel. Fushigi Yuugi and its characters are the copyright of Yuu Watase and Co. (whoever Co. are. . . )  
  
A/N: Gomen Gomen!!! I've just re-read chapter 1 and oh boy. I didn't know that that there were so many spelling errors. I was kinda in a hurry and had to catch my bus so I just posted it without re-reading it. I've corrected them now but there still may be some. So, sorry for those too. I seriously need to get myself a beta-reader (well actually I have one, but she's not doing her job.) *~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*  
  
Chapter 2: Trouble Brewing In The Air  
  
Meanwhile. . .  
  
"Is everything ready for the attack soldier?" A well-built man, with black hair and silver eyes asked the soldier knelt down before him.  
  
"Hai Sir! In few days, they will regret what they did to us a few years ago. They shall be at our complete mercy," answered a man dressed in complete black.  
  
"Good, good. Did you find out the information that I asked you about?" inquired the evil looking male.  
  
"Yes Sir! But one of our men perished in the process. Eikens was killed."  
  
"Ah! So that bastard is finally dead. Good, good, I was hoping that he would get caught. Well what are you waiting for soldier? I haven't got all day! What did your spy team find out?"  
  
"Hai! The bandit's most treasured possession seems to be his iron fan that can make fire. Better know under the name of the tessen. So, if we can get our hands on it, he'll probably do anything to get it back. Although I believe that it was with that same weapon he killed our former leader 3 years ago," alleged the spy whose head almost touched the ground now from bowing to his master. "Excuse my curiosity, but does Sir think it wise to attack such a powerful man?"  
  
"Hahaha. . . You think me incompetent for such a task?" laughed the man.  
  
The soldier kneeled yet lower, even if his forehead was already touching the immaculate stone floor.  
  
"Yes, he is powerful I have to admit. But, I'm not as stupid as the former leader. Mark my words servant. Tasuki shall fall. He will be at my mercy," roared the lord with a dangerous red glare in his eyes.  
  
The soldier got up and said almost automatically: "I have complete confidence in you my lord." The warrior retreat silently from the room as if he wanted to get out of his master's sight as quickly as possible.  
  
The malicious man chuckled as he sensed the fear of his soldier. "Yes, tremble, because soon enough, everyone will fear me when I'm through with this pitiful world. Even you Tasuki. . . "  
  
The room became even darker than it initial was. Soon, only a pair of silver eyes could be seen. . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Deep in a thick forest, a young girl was ridding in front of a red headed guy with golden eyes and fanged-tooth. The girl seemed to be enjoying herself as she was cheerfully chattering about whatever subject that came to her mind and the bandit was actually listening to her (or at least pretending to).  
  
"I know that is really isn't my business but don't you think that stealing from people is wrong?" asked the girl. She waited for an answer but nothing came. Ayomi turned around to look at the bandit and noticed that he wasn't even listening to her. "Baka!" she said as she pulled on his hair, "did you even catch I word that I was saying?"  
  
"Ow! Let go of me Ayomi!" cried Genrou suddenly waking up from his daydream.  
  
"Only if you hear out what I have to say," teased the girl.  
  
"Ok Ok! I'm all ears. Now let go!"  
  
Ayomi released her hold on the bandit's hair and repeated her question again.  
  
"Oh nah, what we do isn't wrong. We actually even help out the people here. Cuz ya see, at Mt.Leikaku we don't steal from everyone. Only the rich sobs that are too selfish for their own damn good and spend their days thinkin' of ways to become even richer when they don't need the money. Our motto is: Take from the rich to give to the poor. So in the end, we don't really profit from all the stealing since we only keep a little bit for ourselves," answered the bandit.  
  
"Well. . . I guess that it's alright what you guys do. But still. . . no matter how I put it, stealing is still wrong" she couldn't help but be a little hesitant. It was quite normal since in theory it was wrong.  
  
The two of them rode on in silence for a few instants and then. . .  
  
"Hey Tasuki, I think I hear horse hooves. I mean other than ours" The bandit listened carefully and remarked that Ayomi was right.  
  
"Maybe it's my favorite merchant," said Tasuki with a smirk. "It would be mean not to pay him a visit and help him lighten his load."  
  
He turned the horse in the direction from witch the sound was coming from and picked up the pace. Soon enough, they saw two horses pulling a luxurious chart. Ayomi heard the man say to the driver: "Hurry up baka, I'm not paying you to go as slowly as possible. God knows what would happen is one of those filthy bandits caught up with me.'  
  
Ayomi had always been taught not to judge someone on how they treated their equals but on how they acted towards their inferiors. She noticed how the man was cruel with his driver when the later was just doing his job.  
  
"Ok Tasuki, let's go flame him." With that, she urged the horse to move forward and confront the rich merchant.  
  
The bandit looked at her in surprise. 'Man 's this girl weird. One moment she's lecturing me on how bad it 's ta steal and the next, she's doing exactly what she believes is wrong. . . Ah women. . . So complicated.'  
  
As the horse reached it's destination, Ayomi got off the animal and marched straight in front of the moving cart.  
  
"Halt!" she said in a commanding voice as she placed a hand in front of herself as a sign for the wagon to stop.  
  
The wealthy man popped his head out of the buggy's curtains and shouted to his driver: "Why are we stopping servant?" He did not notice Ayomi's presence. "From what I can tell, we're not even close from the capital. So unless you have a brain problem, get a move on it!"  
  
The driver didn't budge. He couldn't just run over her no matter what his master's wishes were. "I'm sorry Sir, but there is this young lady in front of the horses and she doesn't seem to want to move."  
  
The commerce man popped his head once again from his window and looked at Ayomi. She was quite an imposing figure with her out worldly clothes and the expression of authority shown in her face. "Get out of the way you wretched girl!"  
  
Ayomi didn't lose her cool and responded in a calm voice: "I don't think that you're going to get much people to obey you if you speak to they of the sort.  
  
He was very annoyed. "I don't care what it takes, run over her if you must but get going!" He closed the curtains and waited for the team to make a move but nothing happened. His ugly face came out of the window again but this time, it showed that he was furious. Since he was too lazy to actually get up and do something, the merchant screamed at his driver: "You good for nothing slave. When I order something, I expect it to be done without any questions. If you don't stir, then when we get back, I'll give you the beating you deserve."  
  
The poor guy didn't know what to do. If he obeyed this master, then he might harm the girl. But if he didn't. . . god knows what may happen to him. . .  
  
Tasuki was, in the meantime, enjoying the scene from behind the trees. He had to admire Ayomi's courage and her determination to do whatever it took to get what she desired. But it was time for him to butt in. He didn't want to see her get hurt, that is if the driver actually decided to run over her. 'Ah.it's time for super Genrou to come to the rescue'  
  
With that, he came out from behind where he was hiding and stood beside Ayomi. "Well, well, well, isn't it our favorite goldmine?"  
  
The merchant suddenly noticed Tasuki's presence and began to tremble. "What the hell do you want filth? I want nothing to do with the likes of you. Get out of my way."  
  
Genrou chuckled while he took out his tessen and pointed it at the man: "I don't think so, cuz ya see, this is MY forest, MY property and whoever passed here has ta pay a fee. So you have two options. If ya want ta go on, I'll have to lighten your load. If ya refuse ta cooperate, then you can always turn around and flee. But I warn ya; my hands seem ta get out of control when they're in the presence of cowards. So, I wouldn't be surprised if your buggy would just catch fire."  
  
Tasuki knew perfectly well that the merchant would do exactly as he asked. He was too afraid of him. And sure enough, the seller gave an abandoning sigh and grunted his chauffeur instructions.  
  
During all this time, Ayomi hadn't bulged from where she was standing. She watched as the driver gave Tasuki the gold that he asked for and she frowned at the reaction of the fat seller during the whole process. He was not happy and she guessed that he was probably going to make a plaint to the police or something of that kind. When Genrou was satisfied with the sum, the girl kindly stepped out of the way and waited for them to depart.  
  
When they were out of view, Ayomi suddenly realized what she had actually done. 'Did I really just help a bandit steal from someone? What would my mother say?' She hit a hand on her forehead while saying: "Baka! What did I just do? I helped a lawbreaker commit a crime! Ah! I don't wanna go to jail. I'm to young! Tasuki, you're bad influence! Soon, I'll be murdering someone." She glanced at the bandit reproachfully.  
  
Tasuki laughed and added sarcastically: "Aw. . . don't worry Ayomi, if someone comes to take ya away, I'll protect you. Or at least, I'll make sure that they'll put you in a nice cell with almost no rats."  
  
Ayomi glared at him dangerously but he escaped just in time before she got a chance to hit him.  
  
"We gotta get going if ya wanna reach the base before it gets too dark ta see anything." He remarked as he called the horse to his side and hoisted the girl on to it.  
  
Ayomi was still quite nervous. "How can you act so cool when we're probably gonna get arrested for stealing? I mean I don't think the merchant will just forget what happened to him and I'm pretty sure that he's gonna go tell the police about it.  
  
Tasuki sat behind her and kicked off, making sure that the person in front of him wasn't going to fall. "Ah. . . you shouldn't worry as much. Didn't I tell you that I was a Suzaku seishi? I don't think the empress is gonna throw me into jail when I helped ta save her country a few years ago. Besides, what we did wasn't wrong. The empress even approves of it. Says that if keeps a balance between the rich and poor. But no one is supposed ta know that. Don't wanna encourage young kids ta steal."  
  
Ayomi was regaining her cool with each one of Tasuki's words. 'He's right, I shouldn't be so nervous.' But she couldn't help wondering why a woman was leading the country. Only men ruled in Ancient China. "Hey Tasuki, why did you say empress instead of emperor. Is it normal for woman to rule Konan?"  
  
"No, but the future emperor is to young. Boushin's only 3. He'll claim his title when he's old enough. Hotohori wouldn't have wanted his 3 year old son to govern this country," answered the bandit.  
  
"Was Hotohori another seishi?" asked the girl.  
  
"Yeah, we were all close friends. But he died heroically in the war leaving his wife and child to rule the country." Tasuki looked up at the starry night sky and prayed for happiness to all his fellow seishi that were gone.  
  
Ayomi could tell that the bandit missed his friends a lot. 'It must have been hard to watch so many of them die. I must say that I'm quite surprised that fang-boy can care so much for someone. I guess he does have a soft side to him,' thought Ayomi with a smile.  
  
The night was chilly and considering the fact that the girl didn't have much clothes on, she soon began to shiver. Tasuki noticed this and offered Ayomi to take refuge in his long black coat.  
  
"Sorry to be a bother." Ayomi snuggled close to the bandit's chest using the heat of his body to warm her up.  
  
"Nah, it's ok. I don't really mind," answered the bandit. But he couldn't help but blush at the fact that Ayomi had turned around and was laying on his chest for some warmth. He never had a woman come so close to him before. He could feel the pressure and warmness of her body as well as sense the softness of her skin. 'Kinda nice,' he had to admit. . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When the horse reached the mountain hideout, the moon was shinning brightly in the night sky and the atmosphere gave a very serene feeling.  
  
As they reached the stable, the red headed bandit helped Ayomi get off the horse and drove the animal to its stall where he feed it and watered it.  
  
Ayomi was back to her joyful self again. She had stopped worrying about the robbery that she had just help commit. Although, she was quite hungry and waited impatiently as Tasuki finished tending to the animal.  
  
As he stepped out of the stall, the girl grabbed his sleeve and pulled him hastily to the kitchen. "Hurry up Tasuki-kun, I can hear the food calling my name. I just hope that the other bandits didn't eat up everything."  
  
"Damn, slow down Ayomi! Even if they did, I can ask the cook ta make some more. Boy ya'r just like Miaka; always wanting to stuff something in her mouth. . . " the bandit answered sweat dropping.  
  
"What is that suppose to imply? That I'm a pig? Well it's not my fault if I'm hungry; I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. Besides, I used up a lot of energy today facing up to that merchant." Ayomi quickened up her pace even more.  
  
When they finally reached the kitchen, they found it empty except for the cook busy cleaning up the place. Ayomi almost fainted when she saw 'no food' was waiting for them on a table. 'Life is cruel.'  
  
Tasuki ordered the cook to make something fast while he lead Ayomi to a nearby table. "Don't kill yourself yet. The food's on its way. In the meantime, want some sake?" The bandit smiled an excited grin and took out a bottle of alcohol with two cup and began pouring.  
  
Normally, Ayomi would have refused but she was so hungry that it didn't matter to her anymore what was going down her throat. As long as it filled her tummy, everything was good. So, she seized the cup of sake and took it down in one shoot. It tasted bitter at first but after a while, it wasn't bad. At gave her the impression of not being hungry anymore. She was quite satisfied and poured herself another cup.  
  
"Don't drink to much do ya?" asked the bandit still on his first shoot. "You shouldn't do that you know, you'll get sick and wont be able to walk and all." He frowned as Ayomi took down another one. "Man this 's why I hate girls. When ya tell them not ta do something, they go on and do it anyway. Oh well, she'll have to learn the hard way. . . " He sighed and decided to join her in the world or spirits. But not too much though because he figured that he'll have to carry her back to the room when the night was over.  
  
When the food arrived, Ayomi didn't eat as much as Tasuki would have expected from her. She was busy pouring down the sake.  
  
After a while, things began to get cloudy and the world around the young girl seemed to turn dizzily. "Tasuki.I think I need to lie down. . . " The world didn't seem so friendly anymore. 'Nothing a good night of sleep won't solve. . . ' she thought with a certain assurance.  
  
Ayomi tried to get up and walk towards the door but before talking more than two steps, she fell down. She tried getting up again but no luck. . .  
  
Tasuki knew that this was going to happen sooner or later. He sighed, got up from the table, picked up the girl effortlessly and carried her to his room.  
  
When he reached the bed and had laid her down on it, he found that she was already asleep. Tasuki gently pulled some blankets over her and tucked her in. Now the problem was where was he going to sleep? He had forgotten to ask someone to make an extra bed. He couldn't possibly sleep in the same one as her. Then again why not? Besides, it wasn't like if he was going to do anything to her. At that moment, the idea sounded perfectly fine (maybe because he was a little drunk and not thinking clearly). So, he took of his shoes and shirt, lifted the covers and laid down beside the girl where he soon fell asleep. . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
When Tasuki woke up sometime before the break of dawn, he had forgotten all about last night's events. Therefore, he forgotten that there was a pretty girl sleeping beside him.  
  
As he tried to get up, he found it hard to move his chest. He looked down and discovered a woman laying on him. Her head was on his chest and one of her legs somehow was between his own two. It was fortunate that everything come back to him on the spot, because he was ready to curse and push Ayomi off of him. Which would have woken her up. Instead, he ran a hand trough her silky black hair and gently took her by the waist and moved her off of him. As her face became visible, Tasuki stopped to admire her. Looking at her made him happy and he didn't know why. No actually, he suspected that he was falling for her but just didn't want to admit it to himself.  
  
He remembered how brave and determined Ayomi was yesterday when she had faced that bastard. He had never met anyone like her before. Not even Miaka or Reirei. Not to mention what a beauty she was. Without knowing what he was doing, the bandit lowered his head and pressed his lips on her forehead. 'So soft. . . '  
  
He got up, took his shoes and shirt and went to dress outside, where he watched the sun beginning to rise from behind the hills. But somehow, his thoughts always seemed to wonder back to the girl sleeping in his bed. 'Damit! I gotta stop thinking of her like that, don't wanna fall in love with her now. . . ' he chuckled at the thought but soon grew serious again. . .  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Once the sun had finished rising and was shinning brightly in the sky, a certain blue eyed girl stirred from her deep sleep and opened her eyes. But as she did so, her head began to hurt and she couldn't remember a thing that had happened last night. All she remembered was Tasuki pouring her a cup of sake. . .  
  
Ayomi tried to get up but found it impossible to lift her head. It felt like it weighted ten tons. 'What was I thinking getting drunk like that? I don't even like alcohol. Have to remind myself never to get drunk again. . . ' As soon as she had said that, a red headed man came into the room with a large bucket of cold water. He put it down on the floor and came to sit beside Ayomi.  
  
"So, how ya feeling? Not too good eh?" he inquired as he placed a hand on her forehead.  
  
Ayomi looked up at him and muttered, "I can't get up, my head weights like ten tons and it hurts like shit. . . I feel great!"  
  
"Told ya not to drink that much last night. But did you listen to wise Genrou?" He smiled at her and helped her sit up. "Come and soak your head in the cold water. Believe me it'll help." He lifted her up and brought her to the pail. Where she dumped her head in.  
  
"Feeling better?" A nod. "Good now come with me and I'll get ya some food. Ya must be hungry."  
  
Ayomi wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his strong shoulders. Tasuki sighed, lifted her up and carried the girl piggyback style to the kitchen.  
  
Along the way, several of the men gave a high-pitched whistle seeing the pair. The bandit tried to ignore them but still, he turned a shade of red.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As they reached the kitchen, Ayomi soon forgot about her headache and began drooling at the sight of all the delicious food lain before her. Tasuki set her down on one of the benches and watched as she began putting piles of food on her plate. "Eh, you really gonna eat all that?" He gestured to the stack of chow that was on her plate.  
  
"Of course I am baka!" She made no further comment and started stuffing the food down her throat.  
  
Tasuki watched the girl for a few moments and then told her, "Oh and Ayomi! I hope ya don't mind if I leave ya here for the day. Some people down at the village are saying that the Mt.Kaou bandits wanna raid us. I'm gonna go check it out today."  
  
Ayomi lifted her head from the grub for a few seconds to ask: "Who are the Mt.Kaou bandits?" And then went back to chewing.  
  
"Well, they're the thieves on the other Mountain. Old time enemies. And bastards too if ya ask me, they steal from everyone that comes along their path. If the victims don't have the money, then they would kidnap them and sell them as slaves." Tasuki's voice deepened as he said those words. He seemed to be recalling a bad memory that was related to the Mt.Kaou bandits.  
  
"Why would they want to raid us? Aren't they rich enough if they steal from everybody?" Ayomi suddenly stopped eating and gave her attention to what the redhead was going to say next.  
  
"It's a long story, but I'll make a brief summary for ya. You see, they might be more rich than us but they certainly don't have as much power." He took out his tessen and laid it on the table. "The only thing that the Mt.Kaou thieves have every wanted, but never got was this tessen. They've tried ta steal it a couple of times but got flamed instead." He closed his eyes and continued. "The last time those bastards tried, they almost succeeded. But Reirei, the Mt.Kaou leader's lil sister, died trying to get it back for us. Cuz she decided ta join us instead and ah. . . long story. I think he liked her very much because he gave up after her death."  
  
A/N: I didn't write up the whole story of Tasuki's childhood. Way to long and it might bore those who have already read it. But if you want to know more, read the GenrouDen. You can find it on the web using a browser or you can always ask me for the url. Ok, bacl to story. . .  
  
At that moment, Tasuki clenched his hands into to tight fists and hit them hard to the table making Ayomi jump up, startled. "If it wasn't for me, she'd still. . . she'd still. . . " He started cursing under his breath while the girl observed him silently.  
  
She guessed that something must have happened between the two of them. And that if she were still living today, Tasuki-Chan would be a less lonesome man. 'He must have cared for her in a certain way. And I think that even after all these years, he still blames himself for her death.'  
  
Ayomi wanted to comfort him in some way. She hated seeing him so miserable. 'What can I say to him? Gosh, I was never a good person for these kinds of things.' She gazed into Tasuki's golden eyes and put one of her hands on his fist.  
  
"Tasuki," she started, choosing her words carefully, "I'm guessing that Reirei was a very dear person to you." A nod. "And I know that you probably still blame yourself for her death, but it wasn't your fault. You didn't force her to sacrifice her life to help you and I don't think that she died regretting her decision. Besides, I'm sure that Reirei wouldn't be too happy if she learned that you were spending the rest of your life mourning over her. . . because I wouldn't," she added quickly. "Gomen, I'm not really good at these kinds of speeches. . . I hope I didn't make you feel any worse." She awkwardly lowered her eyes and stared at the table.  
  
Tasuki had to admit that no; she wasn't too good at making people feel less guilty. But still, he appreciated the fact that she cared enough for him to try to console him. He opened his clenched fists and grabbed the girl into a tight hug. Holding her like this made him feel better.  
  
Ayomi was surprised at first but didn't pull back. For some reason, she liked being hugged by this fang-toothed bandit. 'So warm. . . '  
  
But. . . excited murmuring and coughing made them come back to reality. They had completely forgotten that other people were in the room. The pair pulled away from each other and blushed furiously. "  
  
"I think we should leave," proposed the young lady getting up from her bench.  
  
"Oh I almost forgot! I have someone for you to meet." Tasuki eagerly dragged her outside to a small statue that was dedicated to Suzaku. It was small but still, it gave an impression of importance. At the bottom of the monument, essence was burning. The statue looked fairly new. "It was probably built a few years ago it was built quite recently", the girl stated to herslef. And beside the monument, an old man with dark features was waiting for them.  
  
"Sorry, breakfast took longer than expected," explained Tasuki. "Ayomi, I want you to met Hanaki. Hanaki, Ayomi" He said as he introduced both of them to each other. "He'll watch over you from unpleasant people while I'm gone today."  
  
Ayomi glanced up at the old man. He looked quite friendly but was very old. And frankly, she didn't know who was supposed to baby-sit whom.  
  
The old man detected the doubt in Ayomi's eyes and reassured her, "Miss must think that such and old man as I can't be of much use." Ayomi vigorously shook her head in disagreement but was quite embarrassed that the old man had guessed her thoughts.  
  
"But Miss can be reassured," continued Hanaki, "I am one of the best fighters around her. I also used to teach Tasuki-sama but he no longer needs my aid."  
  
Ayomi's eyes widened and began to sparkle. "Wai! Will you be able to teach me to? I've always wanted to learn martial-arts," she asked excitedly.  
  
"Of course, if that is what Miss wishes," answered the man.  
  
Tasuki sighed and sincerely hoped that the girl would not break her neck in the process. Ayomi, in the meantime began jumping up and down in excitement. The bandit, having finished what he was here to do, was ready to depart. But first, he said good-bye to Ayomi and told the old man to teach anyone that was making any trouble a lesson that they wouldn't forget.  
  
With that, he left her in the hands of the old man and went to investigate the Kaou matter. But before he was out of sight, Ayomi couldn't help but shout: "Good-bye Tasuki-chan!!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 


	3. Mixed Emotions

*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*  
  
Chapter 3: Mixed Emotions  
  
The day was bright, sunny and full of surprises, along with Ayomi's training. She proved to be a very persistent student who was always open to learn new things. Hanaki had to admit that she did have some kind of talent. He had never trained a girl before but she was just as good as any guy he had encountered.  
  
By the end of the day, when she was unable to continue any longer, Hanaki escorted Ayomi back to her room where she found a nice meal waiting for her. The man left her there to wash up and fill her belly. "Man, that was much harder than I thought," she said to herself as she cleaned up all the bruises that she had gotten that day. There where quite a few, but nothing serious.  
  
As she sat down, ready to enjoy her meal, she heard footsteps walking towards her door. A few moments later, a hand was turning the knob. At first, she thought that someone was going to attack her again and was preparing to scream for help. But when the door opened, a sudden redheaded bandit appeared in its frame.  
  
"Tasuki! You scared the hell out of me. You could have at least knocked." She held a hand over chest as if she had had a heart attack.  
  
"What for? This is my room in case you've forgotten." The bandit grinned as he saw her. He had actually missed all her pointless chatter during the course of the day and was quite happy seeing her sound and safe.  
  
Ayomi had to admit that he did make a point. "Oh never mind. Come and eat with me, I was just going to start." She gestured to the seat in front of her as if she was the host.  
  
Tasuki chuckled and sat down while laying his tessen on the table. "So, who's pouring?" he asked jokingly.  
  
Ayomi gave him an evil stare and picked up her chopsticks. "You are, and for yourself to. I'm never drinking with you again. Way to dangerous. . . " With that, she began piling food on her plate.  
  
"Hey, last night was not my fault. I tried to warn ya but did you listen?" The bandit got up and went to take the sake out of a cupboard.  
  
Ayomi frowned; she seriously didn't want to get into that conversation of fear that he would probably win because she couldn't remember a thing. Instead, she decided to ask fang-boy how his investigation went.  
  
"Not to good," he answered with a frown, "the rumors seem to be true. Some villagers state that they overheard some Kaou bandits talkin' 'bout the raid. Looks like they have quite and army prepared. But at least we'll be prepared for when they come. I've informed Master Hanaki to prepare the men for battle. Those bastards seemed to be more organized this time. Wonder who's their leader now."  
  
"I wouldn't worry to much. I mean c'mon, we got Tasuki-chan with us." She nudged him playfully with her elbow. "How could we possibly lose when we've got a Suzaku Seishi that can run really fast and that can make fire?"  
  
"Stop, kidding around, this 's a serious matter," he said honestly.  
  
"Oh but I'm not." Her face became grave as if to prove that she was being serious. "I mean you can just flame them all ne?" She gave him a big playful hug while saying: "Wai! Tasuki-kun is soooo cool!"  
  
The bandit's eyebrows almost disappeared under his hair after Ayomi's teasing declaration. He couldn't make out if she was actually being serious or if that it was just a big joke. "Cut that off! It's getting' annoyin'," he said in exasperation. "Now I know that you can't really help it but this is serious business. People can get killed so stop kiddin' around!"  
  
"Oh but I'm not. I really meant what I said bakemono* fang-boy!" She said with wounded eyes. Did she acted that childish?  
  
A/N: Bakemono means monster.  
  
"Hey what was that suppose ta mean? You think I look like a monster," he asked the girl. He was glad that she really thought him capable in defeating a whole army of soldiers.  
  
Ayomi let go of him and took a moment to look at Tasuki's features. She thought that he was quite attractive with his red hair and amber eyes. His chin line was very smooth along with the contours of his face. He would have looked very serious if it wasn't for his fanged canines, they were so adorable. . . but of course Ayomi wasn't going to tell him all that. Instead, she said in as teasing voice: "Nah, monster's the wrong word to describe you. . . werewolf would be more appropriate." She picked up two chopsticks and put them to her canines, imitating his fangs.  
  
Tasuki was about to hit her gently on the head with his tessen. But stopped before he picked up his fire-throwing fan. Instead, he had this irresistible temptation to tickle her. So, he held her with one hand so that she wouldn't fall of the bench and with the other one he began to graze her tummy.  
  
Ayomi was completely caught off guard and couldn't do anything to stop him. She laughed until her stomach ached and that she fell off her bench. She tried to grab his writs but failed in the attempt. He was so fast and strong that even if she succeeded in catching him, she wouldn't be able to hold on. So, she laughed until she could take no more and couldn't breathe. "Okok, uncle, uncle, I give," she pleaded.  
  
The bandit stopped tickling her as soon as she had said those words. If she had held on much longer, he thought that she might have suffocated.  
  
The girl lay on the floor out of breath. It took her quite some time before she began to breathe normally again. "Eating with you is dangerous. . . "she managed to say.  
  
Tasuki helped her sit up and smile one of his loop-side smiles. "I forgot, how did your training go?" he said trying to change the subject out of fear that she would probably want to get her revenge. "I noticed a few bruises, did the old man treat ya right?" He sounded as if he was really concerned about her.  
  
"Oh it went fine. Hanaki said that I made a great improvement. I might just kick your ass one day Tasuki-chan" she smiled evilly. "And as for the bruises." she lifted out her shirt a little to check on the painful one near she stomach. It had turned purple now.  
  
He had noticed that one too while he was tickling her. He also noticed her fair skin and the fine lines of her body. . .  
  
"Hey Tasuki, could you pass me some clothes? Because mine are kind of dirty and I need something to wear while I wash them out." She pointed to her baby blue shirt witch had been soiled during her practice.  
  
Tasuki immediately went to his drawer where he pulled out the smallest black shirt and shorts that he could find. He tossed them to Ayomi while asking her if she would like to take a bath too.  
  
The girl was delighted with the prospect of finally being clean again and accepted with pleasure.  
  
Tasuki had someone bring in a wooden tub and fill it up with warm water. When all that was done he left Ayomi in the room and told her to take her time.  
  
As soon as he was gone, the girl locked the door, took her clothes off and dipped herself eagerly into the hot water. 'Ah heaven. . . '  
  
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When Ayomi had finished cleansing, she put on the clothes that Tasuki had passed her and examined herself in the mirror.  
  
'Hmm. . . theses are a little too big for me but, at least they're comfortable.' She called someone in to help her take out the water tub and asked if they could tell Tasuki-san that she had finished and that he could come back now.  
  
The tub was taken out quickly and Ayomi sat on the bed that some one had made for her and waited for Tasuki to come back. She wanted to say good night to the bandit before she went to visit dream world.  
  
As she waited, Ayomi began to think about the people back home. She had been gone for what? Two almost three days know. 'Boy, mom must have organized a search party for me by know.' But of course she had actually only disappeared for about five minutes since time moved diffenrently in both worlds. Unfortunately, Ayomi didn't know that and continued to wonder about how worried her parents must be right know. 'I'm gonna have to find a way to go back soon. . . ' She sighed at the thought of having to leave this place. . . having to leave a certain red head. . .  
  
When Tasuki entered the room, he discovered a girl dressed in clothes way to big for her size looking deep in thought. 'She looks kinda cute.' Not wanting to disturb her, he quietly walked over to his bed where he began to get ready for sleep.  
  
But before he could slip under the covers, Ayomi came out of her deliberation and noticed the presence of Gen-chan. "Oh, sorry I didn't see you come in. I was busy thinking about how every one in my world must be worried about me right now."  
  
"Yeah, I guess. As soon as I find Chichiri, I ask him ta brin' ya ta Taiitsukun so that she can send you. . . " He couldn't finish his sentence for some reason. He couldn't bring himself to say:" . . . back home." He didn't want her to leave. . . but he couldn't fall in love with her. He remembered clearly what had happened every time he cared for a woman: disaster. Reirei died and he almost raped Miaka. He couldn't let anything happen to her.  
  
'What am I thinkin'? I don't have feelings for her. I should be happy that she's going back to her world. I. . . ' Tasuki repeat those words in his head to convince himself that he didn't care. But his heart was not convinced; it thumped furiously as if to protest against his thoughts. . .  
  
'He wants me to go back, I should be grateful that I can finally return come. But then.why does my heart ache so much?' Ayomi glanced up at the man in front of her; she could feel her heart beat faster with every second. 'Do. . . do I have feelings for him?' She bit her lip trying to find the answer, even though deep inside, she knew that she had come to care for the rough bandit. . .  
  
There was this awkward silence. Ayomi couldn't stand it any longer. She had to do something. "Good night Tasuki," she said quite hastily and turned her back to him.  
  
She could immediately feel the blood rush up to her face. 'Get a hold of yourself. You're acting like a complete child in adolescence Ayomi! It's only a simple infatuation. . . it'll. . . it'll pass,' she said to herself in a determined voice. But deep down, Ayomi knew perfectly well that it wasn't true. . .  
  
" 'Night Ayomi. . . " answered Genrou, glad that she had turned her back to him so that she couldn't see him blush.  
  
Tasuki blew out the candle and crawled into bed. . . determined that he would find a way not to fall in love with her during the night. But it was to late. . .  
  
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When Ayomi woke up the next day, she found herself in a deserted room. Once again, Tasuki had woken up early than her and had gone god knows where. But to her satisfaction, a hot meal had been placed on the table for her.  
  
She quickly got dressed and ate the food so that she could go find Tasuki. Ayomi spent the whole morning in search for the bandit. And surprisingly enough, no one knew where he was. She also noticed that all the men were acting extremely polite towards her. Must be Tasuki's doing she thought.  
  
Witch was true since early that day, the bandit had threatened to flame them all, no exception, if they dared lay a finger on the girl. And knowing that their leader was true to his word, they decided to not go against his orders.  
  
When lunchtime came, Ayomi was tired of looking for him (she was hungry too). So, she decided to grab something to eat and continue her search later. On her way to the kitchens, she bumped into Hanaki. 'He probably knows where fang-boy is,' she thought. She asked the old man, but no success, all she got from his was that Tasuki-sama was busy.  
  
The old man proposed to continue her martial arts training in the meantime. Ayomi accepted cheerfully since she decided to stop looking for Genrou. She needed the training and was convinced that he would show up by suppertime.  
  
But When Ayomi had said "thank you" to her master and left for the evening meal, certain that Tasuki was waiting for her in his room, she found food waiting for her but no sign of the red head.  
  
Ayomi was quite pissed and even came up with a speech for him when he would finally decide to show up. In the meantime, she decided to not to wait for him and dug into the food.  
  
After her dinner, Ayomi sat on her bed and waited. One hour passed, she got up and walked around the room. Two hours later, she sat down on her bed again, quite dizzy from all the walking. Three hours after, the girl was sound asleep on her bed, exhausted from all the waiting. . .  
  
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When Tasuki came back, a little past midnight, he made sure that Ayomi was fast asleep before entering the room. He didn't want her to see him when he had been trying to avoid her all day long.  
  
Where had he been? In a place where no one except Kouji and him knew about. It was a little shack hidden in the woods. Practically impossible to find.  
  
Last night, after much thought, he concluded that the best way not to fall in love with Ayomi was if he couldn't see her. So, he decided to avoid her until the feeling growing inside of him died down.  
  
After being positive that the coast was clear, he silently slipped into the room. The candle was still burning, but only dimly. He could make out Ayomi's body lying on the bed. His legs automatically walked towards her.  
  
Ayomi was silently sleeping with a hand over her heart and the other one placed above her head. The bandit stopped to gazed at her for a moment. She looked so peaceful. Tasuki carefully pulled a blanket over her and made sure that she was nice and warm before whispering 'goodnight' and softly kissing on her forehead.  
  
He quietly walked over to his bed, while his conscience was yelling at him that he shouldn't have done that. He knew perfectly well that his hiding efforts were in vain, after what he had done. 'What's the point of avoiding her all day if I'm just gonna stare at her when she's sleeping. I feel like a voyeur. . . ' He decided that he had to be more severe with himself from now on. . .  
  
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When Ayomi woke up the next morning, the first thing she did was look for any signs of Tasuki. She saw that his bed has been used, so she knew that he came back last night. But as for the person in question, he was nowhere to be seen.  
  
'Damn that bandit. What in the world is he up to? I bet his avoiding me. . . ggggrrrr.' She was quite angry.  
  
Ayomi quickly got out of bed and noticed there was food waiting for her like yesterday. 'Oh no, this feels like déjà vu. . . But this time, I refuse to spend the day looking for you, bandit-boy.' She got dressed and ate her breakfast.  
  
While she was munching down the food, an idea came to her. 'If Tasuki can get up early than why can't I?' She improved the plan in her head. All she had to do was wake up earlier than fang-boy. 'Easy enough. Now too can play your game Tasuki-chan,' she thought.  
  
The day passed without much excitement. In the morning, Ayomi visited the grounds. It was much bigger than she thought. There was even a little river at the far left.  
  
When she had eaten lunch, she went to find Hanaki to help her improve her martial arts skills. She was making rapid progress and bruised herself less and less.  
  
When the moon had risen high in the sky, Ayomi was already asleep. She had decided to snooze earlier so that it would her easier to get up the next morning. . .  
  
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Before the sun had begun to even rise, Ayomi woke up with a small jump. She looked around her and remembered why she had woken up so early. . . Tasuki. . . She glanced on the other side of the room. She had succeeded. It was so early that the bandit was still gently snoring in his bed.  
  
The girl got up and walked to the edge of his bed. 'I got you Tasuki-kun!' she whispered. She was about to wake him up but had a difficult time trying to keep her eyes open. They wouldn't obey her. They kept on closing on their own. . . She was so tired.  
  
The next thing she knew, was lying beside the bandit and fell asleep.  
  
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When Tasuki woke up the next morning, he yelled in surprised as he found a snoozing Ayomi beside him. 'Damn, she's trying ta up smart me eh?' As he was about to get up and run off for the day again, Ayomi suddenly turned around to face him. The noise had awoken her and she was now wide-awake looking at him intensively with her light-blue eyes.  
  
"Why are you avoiding Tasuki-chan?" she asked still staring at him. For some reason, she wasn't really angry with him like she had expected. She was more hurt. . .  
  
The bandit didn't know what to answer. He couldn't possibly tell her that it was because he was in love with her. Instead, he came up with some lame excuse. " I was busy. Thinking about the Kaou matter and all. I'm not avoiding you, I'm just, just. . . " He couldn't come up anything else to say.  
  
"I don't believe you." She said now sitting on the bed.  
  
He could detect the hurt in her voice. He knew that if she would ask him the same question again, he wouldn't be able to lie to her anymore.  
  
Ayomi bit her lip not knowing what to do next. What could she say? If he said that he was busy than she couldn't accuse him of lying. Besides, she trusted him. Her heart began to beat faster. Without thinking, he grabbed him around the neck and pulled him towards her. She lifted she head and kissed him, full on the lips.  
  
Tasuki was so surprised that his eyes went wide and he gasped in shock.  
  
When Ayomi pulled away from him, she suddenly became aware of her actions. "I. . . I. . . " she started. But Tasuki didn't give her the time to finish; he laid her down on the bed and kissed her passionately. Ayomi shrilled in astonishment but responded to him eagerly. All the love and desire that he had been keeping inside came pouring out into that kiss. He could feel her tremble slightly beneath him. Once he had lifted his head again, he stared at her in bewilderment.  
  
Without saying a word, Ayomi curled but against him and closed her eyes. She decided that she would figure out what had just happened when she was fully awake. In the meantime, she would enjoy the moment as much as possible.  
  
A small grin spread across Tasuki's face, he was grateful that Ayomi didn't ask him any questions since he had no clue to what had just happened himself. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. The thinking could wait until later. Right now, all he wanted was to be close to her. . .  
  
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A/N: Yeah I know the story in getting a bit mushy and I completely left out all action. But I'm pretty sure that the next chapter will be more interesting. Remember the Kaou bandits? Well, I didn't forget about them so. . . they'll probably find something to do in the next chapter. . . Mouhahaha (evil laugh). Please write me a review. Thx ~-^ 


	4. A Stubborn Mind And Confused Heart

*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*  
  
Chapter 4: Stubborn Mind, Confused Heart  
  
When Ayomi woke up the next morning with black lines under her eyes, the first thing that she noticed was that she was not in her own bed. 'So, it wasn't just a dream,' she thought. But to her disappointment, the person sleeping beside her was nowhere to be seen.again. "Damn that bandit!!! What the hell's going on inside his head? One minute he's all over me and the next it's like as if he doesn't even know who I am!!!" she shouted in fury as she jerk the covers off of her body and stepped out of bed.  
  
Breakfast was waiting for her on the table as usual. But she was so pissed at Genrou that she didn't have the heart to eat. She needed to talk to someone. She needed a friend to understand what she was going through and give her advice. 'Hanaki. . . ' she thought, 'he's not exactly a best friend but he should be able to comprehend.'  
  
She figured that he should be in the dinning room eating right now. 'Ah perfect, I didn't really fell like eating alone anyways.' With that, she hastily tidied herself a bit and went to find him.  
  
When she arrived in the loud eating room, Ayomi almost fainted when she saw none other but Tasuki sitting at a table discussing seriously with the old man. She couldn't move a muscle; she didn't expect him to be there. What was she supposed to say? "Sorry about last night, I kind of got carried away?" or "I think I'm in love with you?" Her fears seemed to be getting bigger by the minute and she was trying to force her legs to turn around and run away.  
  
But fortunately or unfortunately, Tasuki saw her before she could make a move and beamed at her. "Come 'n join us for breakfast Ayomi," he said as he gestured to the seat beside him. "I hope ya haven't eaten yet."  
  
The young girl couldn't refuse such a pleasant invitation, so she sat down and picked up a pair of chopsticks. She was glad that Tasuki hadn't mentioned anything about last night since she quite frankly didn't have the time to figure it out herself.  
  
The bandit continued his conversation with the martial arts master once Ayomi had taken a seat. He had decided not to mention about last night hoping that the girl had somehow, miraculously, forgotten about the whole thing or thought that it was just a dream. He hadn't quite figured out what to say to her just yet. More important things were at hand, like the attack that the Kaou bandits were planning.  
  
"So, you're sayin' that they might probably attack us in the next couple o days," he asked the old man. Leaving his personals problems for later.  
  
"Hai, their base is not that far from ours. So, judging from when the rumours started, they should probably be here right now, in hiding. Waiting for the right time to strike," answered Hanaki in a grave tone.  
  
Tasuki went very serious and deliberated hard on the situation. "Are the men ready?"  
  
The old man game a nod and informed his leader that he had told them all to prepare for an attack. "I have positioned some of the bandits in the woods so that they could be on lookout for any signs from the enemy."  
  
During all this time, Ayomi was quietly eating the food but made sure not to miss a word from the conversation that was going on beside her. The men went on talking about battle tactics for the rest of the meal without any paying attention to her.  
  
Well actually, Tasuki knew perfectly well that she was there and didn't address a word to her on purpose. He wanted to talk to her but considering the present circumstances of their weird 'friendship' he decided against it. It could always wait.  
  
Ayomi, assuming that he two men wouldn't mind if she went out for a walk got up and went outside without saying a word. 'Besides, its not like if they'll even notice that I'm gone.'  
  
The day was magnificent, the sun was shinning without being too intense and the temperature was just perfect. Not too cold, not too cold. As the girl walked around the grounds, she somehow ended up beside little river. The water seemed so inviting, it was blue just like her eyes and when she dipped a hand in it, little fishies swam around it. She wanted to jump in, but decided against the idea since the clothes she was wearing would probably go transparent once in contact with water. 'In a camp full of men, it's better not to expose oneself,' she said to convince herself.  
  
But still, she took of her shoes and dipped her feet into the cool water and began singing. It was one of her hobbies, it helped her clear her mind when she was depressed or confused. . .  
  
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Contrarily to what Ayomi thought, the bandit had notice that she had gone out. But he resulted that it was better not to follow her. He needed time to think, he needed time to decide what to do with the upcoming battle and with the bleu-eyed girl that occupied a lot of space in his thoughts. Genrou quickly concluded his discussion with Hanaki and decided to go for a walk, to clear his mind.  
  
The day was magnificent and the atmosphere seemed so clam. He strolled around the base and talked to a lot of the men in attempt to keep a certain raven-haired girl from invading his thoughts.  
  
Practically everything reminded him of her. The smell of her skin, he softness of it, her intensive blue eyes, her smile, she feeling of her lips against his. . . It was driving him crazy. And it pissed him of that he could actually care for a girl so much. "Damn, damn and damn!!! When the hell did I change so much? I'm supposed to hate girls go not completely speechless and numb when I see one!!!" he shouted in frustration as he kicked the ground sending dust everywhere.  
  
He cursed some more but stopped suddenly when someone put a hand on his shoulder. "Knock, knock, knock. Who's there? Genrou best friend. Genrou's best friend who? Genrou best friend that has comes back and finds his friend in a total love crisis. Ah hello, hello pal, welcome back!!!" said a black-haired man in an amusing tone.  
  
Tasuki turned around and was trilled to find Kouji standing there. The two bandits linked arms and danced around in a circle a couple of times. "So Kouji, you're back pretty early, I wasn't expectin' ya so soon," said Genrou once they finished their little ritual.  
  
"What? Your not happy ta see me?" said Kouji with false solicitousness.  
  
"No that's not what I mean," replied Genrou.  
  
"Well to answer your question, I came back early cuz I heard that my buddy was in trouble. And from what I can see, in more ways than one," he snickered loudly. "So, Gen-chan, I see that you're in some deep shit. Kaou bandits want to raid your base and you seem to be having problems with your woman."  
  
"She's not my woman damn it! And I don't have any problems with Ayomi. And as for the Kaou attack, it's perfectly under control," replied Genrou annoyed by his friends comment.  
  
"I believe ya for the Kaou matter but if you're not in love with Ayomi than what were you cursing about earlier?" Kouji teased him while slinging one arm over his shoulder. "So, when's the marriage due?"  
  
Tasuki jerked away from his friend. He was furious and was jumping up and down. "For the last fuckin' time, I'm not in love with. . . " he abruptly stopped. Ayomi. . . A sudden image of her formed instantly in his mind. "Kuso!" he was furious with himself. 'Get a hold of yourself Genrou! Your acting like a complete idiot!' he shouted to the part of himself that was in total control over his emotions. . . his heart. He took a deep breath and gathered up all this cool to tell his friend, "I'm don't have feelings for Ayomi."  
  
Kouji tried hard not to laugh, but one glance at his blushing pal made him exploded with laughter. He was chuckling so much that his stomach was in pain and that he had to roll on the ground to help him stop. But between gasps for air, he managed to say somehow miraculously, "Genrou. . . you're. . . hahaha. . . ssoooo. . . hahaha. . . damn CLUELESS!!!" When he could finally get a hold of himself he stood up and patted his friend in the back, " Don't worry, I wont steal her from ya. . . "  
  
Tasuki rolled his eyes and looked up to the sky. "Here I am tryin' to have a serious conversation with my supposedly BEST friend but what happens??!! He's guffawin' like a complete asshole and talkin' shit. Why is life so cruel?"  
  
Unfortunately, Tasuki's dialogue didn't get the effect that he would have hoped for. Instead of pissing his friend off, Kouji simply added charmingly, "Aww. . . You're so cute when you're lovelorn." With that, he messed up Genrou's hair and hit him hard on the arm.  
  
A/N: And no, I DO NOT think that Kouji is gay. Just because he never falls in love in the anime/manga does not mean that he has homosexual feelings. And Yuu Watase clearly specified that Tasuki and Kouji weren't gay when someone asked her that question. . . No offence though to all those who like to see guy-guy pairings. . . I have nothing against it. ^-^  
  
The red headed bandit was so exasperated with his friend's behaviour that he didn't even bother to get his revenge on him. He lifted both arms towards the sky and cried, "Have pity Suzaku!"  
  
Kouji simply pretended that he didn't hear his friend's comment and continued to tease him about the young girl. "Hey, speaking of Ayomi, where is she?" he asked as he noticed that the girl wasn't anywhere near them. "I hope you didn't break her heart or something by saying something stupid." He eyed his friend suspiciously as he waited for his answer.  
  
"How the hell am I supposed ta know where she is? And what that hell do ya mean by breaking her heart, how do ya expect me ta kill her just by saying something? Man ya make no sense sometimes. . . " he said while passing a hand through his hair to replace it back to where it was before Kouji had touched it.  
  
Kouji's jaw was about to drop to the floor in the meantime. He couldn't believe his ears. Ok, he knew that Tasuki was clueless about everything to do with love and women. . . but. . . but how the hell could anyone be SO clueless?  
  
He was about to give Genrou a lesson in love 101 but decided against it. 'Bad idea, he'll probably flame me before I can even get to basics. Oh well, he'll have to learn on his own. . . ' He shook his head in regret but keep his mouth shut.  
  
"You should go look for her man. I mean it's not safe leaving her in a camp full of grown men. Never know what might happen. . . " Remarked Kouji after an uptight moment of silence.  
  
"Guess your right. It's almost lunchtime," he said as he glanced up and saw a bright sun shinny right above them. "Better go and find her before she dies of hunger," he added sarcastically.  
  
As Genrou walked away from his buddy in search for a cheerful girl with blue eyes that kept invading his thoughts, Kouji couldn't help but wonder how his friend was going to make it through without any idea of what was happening to him. As his friend disappeared into the bushes, he sincerely hoped that he wouldn't screw things up. . .  
  
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While the cool water was gently cascading on her feet, Ayomi was lost deep in her thoughts. She was thinking about the purpose of her life up to now. Pointless. To tell the truth, Ayomi was not as cheerful as she seemed. The only reason why she acted so was because she didn't want anyone to pity her for her fucked up life. By nature, she really was a high-spirited person, always ready to laugh and think positive, but to many obstacles stood in her way. . .  
  
She bit her lip and frowned as an unwanted memory came to her mind. . .  
  
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"Look Ayomi, we don't have the money to pay for your little school trip," said a mid-aged woman with blonde hair. She was busy putting on her makeup, obviously preparing herself for a grand event.  
  
The young girl standing beside her was trying hard not to say any regrettable comments. She felt like telling the glamorous woman a piece of her mind but held her tongue; she certainly didn't want to spend the rest of her life grounded. "But mom," she pleaded, "it's not like if I'm asking you to pay me a trip for Spain, we're only going to visit the museum. In town!!!"  
  
Her mother threw her an icy-cold glance. "Are you questioning my actions?"  
  
Ayomi couldn't take it anymore. Her family was certainly not poor, but when it came to spending anything for her, they somehow didn't have a penny left. It wasn't that they didn't care for her; of course they did.in some strange way. But as give to her any sort of affection beyond that, it was hard to even imagine that happening. She had always been the consolation prize, the second child, the least important.  
  
Ayomi had come to accept the fact her parents didn't even "like" her as half as they did her older sister. But sometimes, like right now, the feeling of being excluded from everything slowly got to her. "No mom, I don't doubt your actions, but I can't seem to figure out how you can pay for all of Maya's piano courses along with everything she wants not to mention how much you spend on jewellery," she added sarcastically, but soon regretted her words and wished that she had never said them.  
  
Her mother stopped applying her make-up, she was furious with Ayomi's behaviour. "How dare you! Just because you don't have your sister's talents doesn't allow you to be so selfish. You're nothing but an ignorant little fool! Unlike Maya, you'll never go far in life. . ."  
  
"You lie! You. . . you're just angry because I'm not you. Because I have better sense than you'll ever have!" shouted Ayomi cutting her mothers sentence short. She had no idea what she was saying; she didn't even know if it made any sense. All she knew was that she couldn't take anymore of that woman's cruel remarks.  
  
She was going to hit her. She had gone to far this time. And without a doubt, Ayomi felt her check burn on fire a few seconds later.  
  
"I have better things to do than listen to a worthless child talk trash." The tall woman didn't even glance at the girl as she walked out the door and locked it shut.  
  
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That was the last time that Ayomi saw her mother. Because on that same night, she had been transported here.  
  
'What was I thinking that night when I actually thought that she would bother looking for me? Even worse, worried about me? I'm pretty sure that she hasn't even noticed my disappearance. . . It was probably just any excuse to convince myself that I don't belong here. . . ' She shook her head hard in attempt to stop her thoughts. 'I shouldn't be so ungrateful. I mean she is my mother even though I don't think she did me a favour by giving birth to me. . . ' She fixed her eyes on the forever-moving water and contemplated it while images of a certain red head slowly filled her mind. "Am I in love with him?" she asked herself doubtfully. She truly had no idea since she had never felt it before. Of course the girl knew what the word meant but as to experience it, it was something totally new to her. She had never really loved anybody and she doubted that anyone truly loved her in return.  
  
There were always of course the boys at school constantly asking her to go out with them and always going on and on about how they loved her more than live itself. But she would usually just raise and eyebrow and walk away. She never quite believed them, because the next day, the same boy would be saying the exact words to another girl. As for her parents, she thought herself lucky that they didn't hate her and would probably even be sad if she actually died one day.  
  
'Love,' she thought, 'such a strange feeling. How do I know if I am in love?' The girl placed a hand on her heart. 'Are we supposed to feel something?' She thought about the bandit and how she felt all warm and fuzzy inside each time she saw him. She smiled as she felt her heart beat slightly faster.  
  
At that same moment, a red haired bandit appeared from behind some bushes. 'Ah! There she is.' He had practically searched everywhere for her. Tasuki was even getting a bit worried. As he approached her, he noticed that she was preoccupied about something from the serious look on her face.  
  
"Hey Ayomi! I've been wondering where ya went all morning. Kinda surprised that your tummy didn't tell ya that it was lunch time yet." He teased her amusingly as he sat beside her on the green grass and stared at the repelling water.  
  
Ayomi suddenly jump up as he came near her. She hadn't heard him approach her and was quite startled to see him here. Even with everything on her mind, she didn't forget about last night. It was quite an awkward moment since none of them knew what to say to each other. . .  
  
"Sorry, about last night," they both blurted out at the same time.  
  
Ayomi, realizing the stupidity of the matter suddenly burst out laughing.  
  
"What's so funny?" Asked Tasuki slowly regaining his cool again.  
  
"Because we're both acting like three year olds," she managed to say when she had finally stopped laughing.  
  
Tasuki's eyes widened in bewilderment, she always seemed to a find way to surprise him. There they were in a total serious and embarrassing situation and what does she end up doing? She's laughing her head off. The bandit couldn't help but feel grateful towards her. He had just escaped a mortifying moment where he had no idea what he was supposed to say or do.  
  
"Ah. . . women. Always changing moods; ya never know what they're thinking, never knew what to do. So complicated. . . " he stated in a teasing voice. But before he could finish, the red headed bandit found himself struggling not to drown. Ayomi had pushed him into the water.  
  
"Big tough Genrou doesn't seem to be so tough right now does he? You never told me that you couldn't swim. . . " she said in an innocent tone as she watched in amusement as the bandit was trying to stay afloat in the small river. But before she had to time to laugh whole heartily at the situation, she felt a firm hand grab her by the ankle and pull her into the cool water.  
  
Tasuki had someone dragged Ayomi in with him without her noticing anything. "Bwahahaha. . . ya don't look to smart now do ya?" the bandit chuckled as he swallowed a mouthful of water.  
  
The girl easily climbed out of the swirling water due to the fact that she knew how to swim. The bandit in the meantime had held on to her shoulder and allowed himself to be dragged to the bank.  
  
As Ayomi scrambled back to shore, she suddenly realized that her clothes were transparent. . . She quickly jumped back into the water and used it to hide herself. "Things can't get worse," she mumbled as she stood there shivering in the cold river.  
  
"What the hell ya doing?" asked that bandit as he found the satisfaction of being on solid ground again. Water was not his thing; never had been, never will. "Ya'll catch a cold if you stay in there," he remarked to her.  
  
"But I can't get out," answered Ayomi in embarrassment. She knew perfectly well that she would catch a cold if she stayed in it for too long.  
  
Tasuki shook his head and sighed as he stretched out his arm to help her out.  
  
The girl blushed even harder. How to explain to him? "No baka, I can get out by myself and I don't need your help. But I can't because well you see, I don't want you to see me."  
  
The bandit gave her a puzzled look. He hadn't understood a word that she had just said. If she could get out of the water on her own then why did she say that she couldn't?  
  
Ayomi's checks turned even darker. She couldn't believe how clueless the bandit was. She took in a deep breath, closed her eyes, and blurted out quickly, "I can't because my clothes are completely see trough. So, you can see well. . . everything."  
  
Tasuki, having finally understood what the girl meant, went crimson. He turned his back to her quickly, detached his belt and took of his long back coat, witch he tossed in Ayomi's direction.  
  
Ayomi was so humiliated that she would have preferred to just stay in the cold water. But since Genrou was calmly waiting for her, she had no choice but go get of the water and wrap the bandits long black coat around her. It was so long that it almost touched the ground. It was quite wet, but she didn't mind.  
  
On the way back to the camp, the self-conscious pair didn't exchange a single word. They both looked away from each other's gaze and walked slowly back were a huge surprise waited for them. . .  
  
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Ok Ok!!! I know that I said that something would happen with the Kaou bandits. But you see, unless you guys want this chapter to be posted in about 2 weeks, then I'm unable to write in any action with the Kaou ppl. Cuz I'm going on camping tomorrow so . . . NO COMPUTER for a WHOLE week!!! NO!!!  
  
Sigh~ Well, that's life. And plus, when I get back, I'll have one more week of vacation before school starts (soooo unfair, only ppl in Quebec start school in August); witch means, no time to finish this fic. So, unless you guys write me a lot of reviews. . . you probably wont get a new chapter before a long time. So, if you want me to spend the last week of summer writing, you know what to do. . . hehehe. Yes I know, I'm EVIL! 


	5. Denying Feelings

*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*  
  
Chapter 5: Denying Feelings  
  
"Sir, the troops are ready. We shall strike on your command," an elite soldier said while looking around the shabby room. It was actually a tent, but since the room was so dark, it was hard to tell the difference. His voice was almost mechanical, as if he had rehearsed the single sentence over and over again.  
  
"Good, good; than we shall strike early tomorrow morning. It would be too easily if we attacked them at night. I want to have some fun first. I want to hear them scream for mercy, and beg me to spare their filthy lives," retorted a chilly voice that turned the soldier's blood cold. He laughed evilly in the dark, as if no one else was in the tent with him.  
  
The soldier departed silently trying not to catch is master's attention. But the man knew perfectly well what was going on. And before the warrior had exited through the entrance, he calmly said, "Please don't forget to close the door. And. . . don't screw up. I want that bandit's head."  
  
The soldier started to tremble so hard that he thought that an earthquake was going on. But he managed to quiver out a hushed, "Ha. . . hai. . . sir." With that, he dashed out of the room and ran as far away from it as possible. . .  
  
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Somewhere in a trick forest, a man with red hair and a young girl were walking side by side but seemed not to know the existence of one another. They strode on slowly without exchanging a word or even swapping a glance at one another.  
  
When they reached the stronghold, it was late in the afternoon and the sun was beginning to set.  
  
When Kouji saw the self-conscious pair walking towards him, his eyebrows almost completed disappeared under his hair as he watched them approach.  
  
They made quite any entrance, both of them were soaked to the bone and Ayomi was wearing a black-blue jacket that was much to big for her while Tasuki, having leant his clothes to the young girl, wore a see-through white shirt. They didn't seem too happy.  
  
"Seems like you two had some fun without me. . . " he said in a teasing voice. Both of them blushed furiously at his remark. But neither one of them said a word.  
  
"That's what I thought," the black haired bandit snickered while glancing from one blushing face to the other.  
  
"C'mon," he said in an exasperated voice, while taking the flushing pair by the wrists and dragging them to a room where he told them both to change and join him for supper.  
  
As he closed the door to the chamber where he had left them, Kouji sighed deeply and shook his head in mystification. He just didn't see how two people could "like" each other so much without doing anything about it. But one thing he certainly knew was that if he were in Genrou's shoes, he would do everything possible to kept the blue-eyed girl close to him.  
  
"But than again, it IS Genrou that we're talking bout. And we all know how hopeless he is. . . " He shook his head some more in disappointment and slumped towards the kitchen; without knowing that he had forgotten a very important detail. He had left Genrou and Ayomi in the same room. . .  
  
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The room was dimly light due to the few sunrays able to pass between the small gaps of the closed curtains. But still, Ayomi could clearly discern the figure of the red headed bandit standing in front of her.  
  
Neither of them had the time to say a word in objection as Kouji had hastily shoved both of them into the same room and closed the door. So here they were stuck in the same place, but wanting nothing more than to be as far away from each other's presence as possible after the embarrassing moment that had just happened earlier.  
  
As Ayomi lifted her eyes to face the bandit, she couldn't help but stare at the red haired man in awe. He was so attractive that the girl couldn't help but grin as she admired him in silence. She had never really realized before how handsome he was. She had always thought that he was good-looking but in the dim light, she could perfectly discern his flawless features. From his high cheekbones to his beautifully carved nose and his strong jaw lines, he was everything that any girl could ever dream of. Not to mention his mouth. . . Ayomi recalled precisely the feel of his lips against hers. 'So sensual and full of emotion. . . '  
  
The young girl tried to take her gaze off of him but found the task impossible to complete. Her eyes just kept wondering over his body. And since his white shirt was soaked through, the fabric hung onto the bandit's body, showing off all his fine lines and muscles. His shoulders and chest were broader than she had thought. And his abdomen seemed hard as iron. . .  
  
While Ayomi was silently admiring him, the bandits did not stay thoughtless either. His heart raced in his chest urging him to act against his will. While his eyes were busy fixing her in contemplation. He wanted to smell the delicate scent of her raven hair that hung just below her shoulders and to lose himself in the endless blue of her sparkling eyes. He ran his gaze over her lips and wondered if he would ever get to taste them again. He hadn't quite figured out what they tasted like yet. Something wonderful, that he was sure of. . .  
  
But before he was able to decipher their flavor, Tasuki suddenly zoomed back to reality. He shook his head violently to wave off his thoughts as he realized what he was doing. Silently, he cursed at himself for the sentimentality of his thoughts. Drooling over her was not going to help him forget about her.  
  
"Um, sorry bout that. I don't think he meant ta put us in the same room on purpose," Tasuki said in attempt to cut his thoughts short. "I'll let ya change first. Call me back when you're done."  
  
With that, he quickly stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He let out a sigh of relief when the girl was finally out of his sight. It was quite nerve raking to stay in the same room as her. His eyes just didn't seem to want to obey him. They kept fixing her in admiration. Not to mention the thing beating in his chest. He had even less control over it than the rest of his body put together.  
  
"What's happening ta me? Is Kouji right? Am I in love with her?" While he asked himself those questions, he remembered how little control he had over his body just a while ago. The bandit was quite sure that if he had stayed a little longer in that room with her, he would have lost total control over himself and would have probably done something he would come to regret.  
  
"Genrou, wake up damit!!! Ya don't like girls remember?" he shouted to himself a couple of times while pacing the corridor, waiting for Ayomi to come out.  
  
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While the red headed bandit was busy trying to convince himself that he was not meant to fall in love, the young girl that invaded his thoughts was in the meantime changing clothes and having some problems of her own.  
  
'What just happened to me? I was almost drooling over him,' she thought as she took off the black jacket that Tasuki had lent her and began to strip herself of all her wet clothes.  
  
"I have never felt anything like this before for anyone. Does this mean I'm in. . . love," she smirked as those words came to her lips. The young girl had never felt anything close to what she was experiencing right now. It was a weird sensation, every time she saw him, her heart would just melt and she would suddenly become speechless.  
  
"I . . . I guess I am in love with. . . Tasuki," she said while a smile came to her lips. She was excited but confused at the same time.  
  
"What do I do now? I guess I should tell him. . . one day." She bit her lip in hesitation. Ayomi had read enough teenage magazines to know that it couldn't hurt to tell him. "He might just probably like me too,' she thought with a smile. But the grin was quickly replaced with a frown.  
  
"What am I thinking? He doesn't like girls and . . . and he certainly doesn't like me. Besides, I don't belong here. Mom must be worried about . . . " she immediately stopped the train of her thoughts before she was able to complete her sentence. Ayomi realized that she was lying to herself again. She knew perfectly well that her parents wouldn't really care if she decided to stay here for the rest of her life. . . Her heart suddenly gave a quick little beat as if to say that she should stay here.  
  
The young lady put a hand over her heart to fell it beat, she knew quite well what it was tying to tell her; but she decided to ignore it as she hastily pulled out some clothes from a drawer and put them on without bothering about what she would look like in them. She had to stop thinking about these things, about him. She resolved to let fate lead the way. What will happen, will happen.  
  
When Ayomi had finished putting on the spare set of clothing, she quickly stepped out of the room without bothering to look up as she opened the door. She was about to call back Tasuki but found that she was face to face with him. She had bumped into him without knowing his presence.  
  
The bandit had somehow wondered back to the room where Ayomi was. And he had just stood there, in front of her door; waiting for something to happen. And unexpectedly, something did happen. A pretty girl that arrived to his chin came out of the room and bumped into him. She was wearing men's clothing that obviously was far too big for her.  
  
The girl just stood there looking at the red head, not knowing what to do. 'Great, just when I want to stop thinking about him, what happens? I end up face to face with him ' she remarked miserably. She had somehow convinced herself that it would do no good to anyone if she let the feeling inside of her grow stronger and deeper. 'It would just cause more pain and confusion. . . '  
  
"Gomen Tasuki, I didn't see you there," Ayomi said while slightly blushing. Even though she knew that it was best to avoid him, deep down, the young lady was quite happy to see the fiery bandit. "Well, I'll meet you at diner then," she added hastily and without waiting for him to answer, she walked away from him and headed to the kitchens without glancing back.  
  
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As Ayomi arrived in the busy eating area, she quickly spotted Kouji sitting at the usual table taking down some sake.  
  
"Tasuki wont be to happy when he finds out that you started without him again," she said mischievously as she took a seat beside him.  
  
"Well, he'll just have to deal with it," the black haired man responded while taking down another cup. "Besides, can't have everything in life. You either get the pretty girl or the bottle of sake. And in his case, guess he chose the pretty girl. . . " Kouji said while glancing up at an embarrassed Ayomi. And smirked as he waited for a reaction from her part.  
  
The girl tried to act as if she hadn't heard anything and avoided all eye contact, but the crimson color that flushed her cheeks soon gave her away.  
  
Kouji laughed teasingly as he noticed Ayomi's sudden change of color. "Bwahahaha. . . you two are just so damn obvious that it's hard to believe that nothing has happened yet. . . "  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Ayomi asked while giving him quizzical look.  
  
"Yeah, what did ya mean by that? Kouji old pal," said Genrou as he walked towards them and sat down. It turned out that Kouji had said his last sentence so loud that the red haired bandit had heard him while coming down the hall.  
  
The pair both gave him an inquiring look as they waited for the black- headed man to answer. But to their deception, Kouji started again to laugh uncontrollably.  
  
Ayomi raised an eyebrow and decided to start eating. She wasn't quite sure if she even wanted to hear what Kouji had to say.  
  
When Kouji had finally stopped guffawing, the only thing he said was, "I'll let ya guys figure that out yourselves. Besides, it's none of my business." Which left both of them eying him suspiciously and wondering if that this wasn't just one big joke.  
  
The silence didn't last long though, because when Tasuki discovered that his friend had not only started before him, but had also finished the whole bottle; the last bottle of his favorite sake, an entertaining brawl started between both of them.  
  
They ran all over the place, hitting, flame-throwing (in Tasuki's case), cursing. . . and all the 'normal' stuff you do when your pissed.  
  
Ayomi was quite impressed by the wide range of vocabulary that both of them had. She had never even heard most of the words and was quite shocked that the bandits around her were cheering and supporting the fighting duo. She had to admit that it was quite funny seeing them both brawl.  
  
After a while, when Genrou was satisfied with the damage that he had inflicted on Kouji, both of them finally settled down and began eating again. Kouji mumbled something about willing to change places with him anytime and that it was only fair that he got the sake.  
  
The girl watched the pair in silence while laughing from time to time. It was a mystery to her how two people who spend their time beating the crap out of each other can be such good friends. 'Maybe its just their way of showing that they care. . . ' she thought with a yawn. The events of that day had finally caught up to her and she was getting quite sleepy.  
  
"If you guys don't mind, I think I'm gonna go to bed." Ayomi said while getting up from where she sat and preparing to exit the room.  
  
"Why, you don't feel well?" Tasuki asked her with concern. It 'was' quite early.  
  
"No baka, I'm just tried. I did have to wake up pretty early to catch someone the last couple of days," she said as she eyed him teasingly. "Well, goodnight."  
  
With that, the young lady excused herself and headed back to her (or rather Tasuki's) room, leaving the two bandits to their little drinking game.  
  
"What was that all about? Did you do something stupid while I was gone?" Kouji asked his fang-toothed friend when Ayomi was out of ear sight.  
  
"Nothing of your concern aho!" replied Genrou while pouring two cups of sake and handing one to Kouji. "All the good sake may be gone but that doesn't mean that there aren't any left. How bout it eh?" He grinned evilly.  
  
"Your on!" With that, both of the bandits began taking down cups of sake, waiting of the other to fall down and declare defeat. . . but that usually never happened since they would both get so drunk that they became unable to kept count. But the two bandits never really bothered with details. To them, the drunker, the better. . .  
  
And what about Ayomi? Well, she in the meantime, had fallen soundly asleep as soon as she had reached her bed, absorbed into the world of dreams. . .  
  
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The next morning, a sleepy blue eyed girl crawled reluctantly out from beneath her covers. She had been woken up by unidentified loud noises. And she was ready to kill the person responsible for it. As Ayomi opened her eyes to target the one who was making the racket, she was startled to discover that it wasn't Tasuki playing one of his little jokes. As a matter of fact, no one was in the room but her. The noise was coming from outside. It sounded like something serious was going on. She could hear men shouting in every direction and weapons crashing. And inside the chaos, she could discern someone shouting from time to time, "LEKKA SHINEN!!!"  
  
'Oh my god, Tasuki!!! ' Her heart started to beat furiously as she became sick of fear for all of those men and her friends begin under attack. She hastily pulled on some clothes over her head and head out the door, down the corridor, until she was finally able to witness the scene before her eyes.  
  
The screams of men and horses filled her ears and frightened her beyond belief. Ayomi was paralyzed as she saw men, one after the other, fall to the ground and scream in pain. She could only hope that they didn't leave a family behind them. Her vision started to blur as the confusion of fighting men grew more intense. She could no longer tell the difference between enemy and ally. Everyone was covered in blood. . .  
  
After a minute of total confusion, she was able to discern Kouji lunging himself at two men dressed in black and slashing both of them with each of his twin daggers. They hit the ground a few seconds later, dead.  
  
Ayomi trembled in fear at the thought of those men being one of her friends. Or worse, Tasuki. . . She had not seen him anywhere yet. The monster of her fears grew bigger by the second and her heart was racing so fast now that a heart attack was not far from happening. The young girl had never in her life witness anything close to his, it was so horrible that she had difficulty breathing. . .  
  
'I probably wont be any use in battle but the least I can do I tend to the wounded. . . ' She cursed at herself for being a coward and not even being able to move a muscle while so many people were dying right before her.  
  
A sudden image of Tasuki lying hurt on the ground flashed in her head. . .  
  
She shut her eyes to shun away all the horrible images invading her mind.  
  
But when she opened them again, her heart nearly stopped at the scene before her. It was a nightmare and no one seemed to have noticed anything except for her. . .  
  
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A/N: Wai sorry for the crummy chapter. I kinda got a writers block and well. . . sigh~ this (pointing to the top) is the result. And I kind of rushed things too. . . maybe it's because I fell the pressure of school already (sobs quietly. . . ). Oh well, at least I think I'm gonna be able to write another chapter before I run out of time. . . with of course the help of your reviews (* hint * hint * nod * nod *). ^____^ 


	6. Memories From The Past

*~A Bandit's Most Precious Treasure~*  
  
Chapter 6: Memories From The Past  
  
When the swarm of men had diminished, Ayomi finally was able to discern Tasuki and watched in horror as the fiery bandit swung his tessen like a sword from right to left, knocking down a couple of Kaou bandits along the way. He had given up sending fire everywhere. It was useless in such close and mingled fighting; he didn't want to injure his own men by burning up the whole place.  
  
But while he was busy fighting with two other men, he didn't seem to notice the soldier-bandit sneaking up behind him. Aiming his sword right above the area of his stomach.  
  
Ayomi was struck by horror and fear. Without giving the situation a second of thought, she started running for all she was worth towards the crime scene. It was a good thing that she did, because she arrived just in time to kick the man in the guts before his sword had pierced through the heart of the red headed bandit.  
  
The man groaned in pain and dropped his sword as he eyed Ayomi furiously. But before she knew what was happening, he had picked up his weapon again and aimed it directly for Ayomi's chest. She watched in terror as the sword came down on her. Paralyzed by the suddenness of the attack, she forgot completely about getting out of the way. She closed her eyes, not wanting to witness her own death. But jerked them open again, as she heard the clang of metal against metal resound in her ears.  
  
She felt a metal fan in front of her chest, blocking the deadly weapon. Tasuki raised his tessen and swung it over the Kaou bandit's throat, finishing him off. He then turned his attention towards Ayomi. His expression was torn between anger and concern.  
  
"What the hell do ya think you were doing? Playing some kinda hero? Ya could have been killed!" He kneeled down beside her to examine her carefully, making sure that she hadn't been hurt in any way. "You ok?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess," she answered shakily as she got up on her feet again while taking a look around. "Well, seems like we got them all anyway." All the Kaou bandits had been indeed killed or scared away.  
  
She breathed heavily, trying to stabilize the beating of her heart. But grinned as she thought about the irony of the situation; the mighty Genrou, who claims that girls are nothing but a burden, just got saved by one.  
  
"So mister tough bandit, how does it feel now eh?" she smirked teasingly as her cool same back to her bit by bit.  
  
"What do ya mean?" He crossed his arms in self-importance.  
  
"Well, you know, getting your ass saved by a 'girl', " she taunted him while watching in amusement as the bandit's expression changed from puzzlement to embarrassment to a matter of seconds.  
  
"Not that of course, the famous Tasuki-sama needed my help in ANY way," she added innocently.  
  
"Your just gonna kept on rubbing it in aren't ya?" Tasuki stated in displeasure. He had forgotten how annoying she could be. "This is exactly why I hate woman. Always wantin' ta smart-mouth ya, never letting ya get a word in edgewise and. . .  
  
A piercing scream echoed through out the forest, interrupting the bandit's complaint and making both of them turn around and search for the source of the sound.  
  
"Looks like someone's in trouble," Ayomi uttered while pointing to the direction where she had seen a couple of frightened Kaou bandits take flight. "I'm going to go take a look."  
  
"So, it's super Ayomi to the rescue eh? Well don't get too confident because I'll have ta save you again sooner or later," stated Genrou in a conceited tone with arms crossed and chin raised. But he soon dropped the act as he noticed that Ayomi's attention was drawn elsewhere. In fact, she was about to disappear into the woods, absorbed into the search for the origin of the scream.  
  
"Reckless girl," he sighed as he effortlessly caught up with her. It wasn't for nothing that he had a "yoku" symbol engraved on his arm. The wing character was a sigh of his Suzaku seishi ability, speed.  
  
"Ya know, one of these days, you're gonna get yourself killed," he said, hanging his head in exasperation.  
  
Ayomi hadn't bothered paying attention to the bandit's last remark. More important things were at hand, like finding the person in need of their aid. She didn't have to search long though because another cry resonate in the forest.  
  
"Tasuki, it's a girl. We have to help her," she uttered, remembering quite well the last time she had been lost in a forest. Ayomi grabbed the bandit by the sleeve of his midnight blue coat and quickened up her pace.  
  
They didn't have to look long though, because who ever they were searching for ended up finding them first.  
  
A black haired girl around eighteen came scrambling out of the dense forest, knocking down Ayomi as she ran into her.  
  
"Gomen, gomen! I didn't see you. I was just so frightened and I didn't know what to do," she explained in a trembling voice.  
  
"It's alright," Ayomi said while pulling herself up on her feet again. She frowned at the sight of bloodstains covering the girl's clothes. "Were you the one that we heard screaming earlier?"  
  
"Yes, I was just passing through this forest when I got attack by this horrible man," she declared in a breaking voice. "I didn't what to do. . . I. . ." She stopped and stared at her hands maculated with blood.  
  
"Where is he now?" Ayomi could feel rage slowly building up inside her. 'Those perverted bastards! All they can ever think about is how to lay and get laid,' she thought in disgust as the memory of the fat lard who had tried to make a move on her flashed in her head. She shivered trying to shake the image away. "Did he hurt you?"  
  
"No. . . I. . . I. . ." The girl dropped to her knees and trembled greatly as she pulled a dagger smothered with blood. "I. . . I killed. . . I killed him," she whispered. And with that, she burst into tears.  
  
Ayomi quickly knelt down and placed a comforting arm around the girl's shoulders while uttering consoling words to calm her down.  
  
Tasuki, in the meantime, hadn't pronounced a single word. He kept gazing the new arrival wondering why she looked so familiar. He was sure that he hadn't meet her before so why did she seem so much like a childhood friend? "Ah, don't worry bout that asshole, he deserved exactly what he got and more."  
  
The girl lifted her head to meet his eyes in a quizzical look. "You really think so?"  
  
And then it hit him. 'But this is impossible, she died five years ago!' he thought in misbelieve. He shook his head again as if to snap out of a dream and stepped closer to have a better look at the blurry-eyed girl. His eyes widened in incredulity; without a doubt it really was her, only five years older. But how was this possible, could she really be. . . "Reirei???"  
  
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"You have failed miserably," the man shouted while pacing up and down in the shabby tent.  
  
"Not only did you fall short in stealing the tessen, but your men didn't even succeed in glazing that bandit!" The tone of his voice echoed dangerously in the room while the soldier knelt before him hoped for nothing more than to get out of his presence.  
  
"Luckily, I was expecting you to fail. So, I came up with a backup plan, witch I hope will be more successful than your ruined attack," the man uttered grimly.  
  
"Yes sir, I'm sure it will," the soldier muttered while preparing to retreat.  
  
"Where are you going?" he asked witheringly as he noticed the warrior getting up and turning towards the exit. "I did not relieve you. Did I not tell you that I don't tolerate losers?" He looked at the insecure soldier haughtily. "Guards!" he called.  
  
"Hai, sir!" Two men automatically came into the room and bowled towards their lord.  
  
"Take the sergeant and dispose of him."  
  
The trembling warrior looked up at his executor and almost fainted. "But, but sir. . . " he pleaded.  
  
"There shall be no buts," the man declared visibly annoyed. "And let this be a warning to you all. I do not accept failures."  
  
The two guards looked terrified but obeyed their master's orders silently as they dragged a screaming man out of the gloomy tent.  
  
"Now that that has been taken care of, I wonder how my new plan is going along." With that, the room grew darker until only his glowing silver eyes could be seen, apparently in some kind of trance. . .  
  
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A/N: Hell of a short chapter and it took me quite some time too, but at least the plot is growing bigger. Who is this new girl? Is she really Reirei? And what is that evil man up to?  
  
You'll have to read to find out. No actually, you'll have to wait until I post up a new chapter, witch is. . . I don't know when since school in starting tomorrow and my grades come before writing fan fiction. Mouhahaha!!!  
  
But hey! Look on the bright side, at least I didn't end the chapter in a big cliffhanger like I intended to. *Smiles innocently while slowly walking away. . . *  
  
Next chapter: *~Things Are Not What They Always Seem~* I'll let you guess the rest. . .  
  
Ciao ^_^ 


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